Road to Hyrule
by taopilot
Summary: Two old friends find themselves transported into a video game, to the Kingdom of Hyrule circa A Link to the Past, and stumble into having to complete Link's quest. I took a few liberties with the gameplay in order to make the story work, but otherwise followed the story of A Link to the Past. COMPLETE! Reviews welcome.
1. Chapter 1

"Mark? Where are you?"

It was just another autumn day, and Steve had arrived at Mark's house, ready for another session of video gaming.

"Upstairs! I'm just cleaning my Super Nintendo!"

Steve walked up the stairs, and found Mark next to the bathroom sink. The sink was full of soapy water, and Mark was using a cloth to wipe down his video game console.

"Mark, you're washing your Super Nintendo?"

"Of course. It's filthy." Mark continued to scrub the Super Nintendo.

Steve scratched his head, trying to make sense of his friend. When he looked again, he noticed that the Super Nintendo was still plugged in.

"Mark, your Super Nintendo is still-"

Suddenly the game console slipped out of Mark's hands, towards the sink filled with water. Steve lunged forward to save his friend, just as Mark reached to try to keep his console out of the water.

They both reached at the moment the Super Nintendo hit the soapy water.

SPLOOOOOSH!

Electricity surged around and both friends saw a flash of light.

Steve awoke, lying in a field of grass. Lying next to him was Mark, but the Super Nintendo was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the sink, or the bathroom, or even Mark's house.

Steve looked around to try and ascertain where they were. He didn't recognize any of the surroundings.

Mark started to awaken. He was lying face down in the grass, and looked up, spitting grass out of his mouth.

"Wh- where are we?" Mark asked his friend.

"No idea," replied Steve.

Mark got up on his knees and looked around.

"What happened?"

"I dunno. Last I remember, you were - washing your Super Nintendo? What were you doing?"

"Hey, it was filthy! You know as well as I do the virtues of having a clean video game console."

"Yeah, but I know enough to _unplug_ it first."

Mark stood up to get a better look around.

"Well, we're not in my neighborhood," Mark said. "And we're by a good sized river, as well. Are we even in Blue Springs?"

"I don't know, I don't see any buildings, just - mountains? Definitely not in Blue Springs, or even Missouri."

"Wait, there's a building! Over there, just by the mountain range."

"Looks like an old building."

"Still, we might as well check it out. It's the best lead we've got for figuring out where we are."

Steve agreed with his friend, and they started making their way to the building. They didn't get very far before the front door of the building flew open and someone raced out, dressed all in green.

"Hey there's somebody!" said Mark, gleefully oblivious to the fact that the person was running right towards them. "We can talk to him!"

"Uhh, Mark..." Steve said. "Maybe we should, get out of the way."

"Hmm?"

The person running towards them had also been oblivious. He was in a mad rush, and Mark and Steve simply happened to be directly in his path. He stumbled right into the duo, which caused him to tumble and fall.

Right into the river.

"Mark, you're so clumsy!" shouted Steve.

"Me?! He's the one who ran into us. We were just standing here minding our own business."

"Minding our business? We were headed right where he was coming from."

"Do you even hear yourself? How was this our fault?"

"Look, I -"

They were interrupted by a sound of spluttering and gurgling coming from the river behind them. They looked over and saw the person who had fallen, flailing, and finally succumbing to the river.

"Tha-" Mark started. "_That_ was our fault."


	2. Chapter 2

Steve and Mark gaped at the river for a good long while before they spoke.

"Well, our petty bickering has finally gone and killed somebody after all," said Steve.

"_Our_ petty bickering? It was your-"

"Wait, wait, it doesn't matter."

"You're right. You're right. What matters is finding out where we are now."

"Because you were washing your Super Nintendo."

"It was filthy!"

"Yes, yes. But now what?"

Mark looked back at the river.

"Look, he dropped a lot of his stuff before he fell in. Let's go check it out."

"Right, we're not looting, we're looking for clues."

"Besides, he's gone anyway."

Mark and Steve arrived at the river bank and started going through the items.

"Check this out, he was carrying this sword." Steve swung the sword a couple of times. "Feels real."

"Haha, are we dealing with a cosplayer here? He was dressed up just like Link. Check out that shield. It's got the triforce on it."

Steve hefted the shield.

"Feels pretty sturdy. This guy is seriously into cosplay."

"Look, he even had a boomerang!" Mark picked up the boomerang and examined it.

"G'day, mate!" Mark laughed as he threw the boomerang.

Steve and Mark went back to rummaging through the items, when the boomerang suddenly came back and hit Mark in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Mark said, rubbing the back of his head. "Good boomerang."

"Wait a minute," said Steve, picking up the boomerang. He threw it, and dashed away from its path. The boomerang continued coming right back towards him, no matter which way he zig-zagged. Finally, he stopped running, and deftly grabbed the boomerang again.

"Really good boomerang," Mark said, approaching Steve. He grabbed the boomerang out of Steve's hand. "And I saw it first."

"That's fine. I get the sword. And shield. But, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah. Let's see what else we got!"

"No, no. Wait. What game was in your Super Nintendo when you were washing it?"

"A Link to the... Past..."

Steve looked back at where they got the items, and saw the green hat lying there.

"What if that was the real Link?"


	3. Chapter 3

"You're crazy."

"Says the guy who was washing his plugged in Super Nintendo."

"It was- I'm not- What does that have to do with what you're suggesting?"

"Well how else do you explain what's going on? You think we were magically zapped to where someone was cosplaying about a video game that was in your system?"

"Oh, no, it makes much more sense that we were magically zapped _into _the video game that was in my system."

"Well, nothing makes sense right now. That's why we should just go back to checking that building. Maybe get some answers."

"Yeah, you're right. But first..."

Mark went back over to the river bank and grabbed the green hat, placing it on his head.

"Haha, it looks good on you," said Steve. "And let's grab some of those rupees as well. If we're in the game, we'll need some money."

"Actually I hope you're right and we _are_ in the game. That's a little less scary than the thought of _you_ having a hair-brained idea and _me_ being skeptical."

After Mark and Steve scooped up the rupees they quietly and carefully went into the building.

"Looks like a church," Mark said quietly. "Rows of pews, and stained glass windows."

"Look, up in the front."

Mark looked where Steve gestured and saw two figures talking. One older man, and a young woman dressed in a simple light blue dress.

"These cosplayers are good," said Mark.

"You really still think-"

"No no no, I'm convinced. Either we're dreaming, or we're - in the game. I was just messin' with ya."

"Well, you know the game better than me. What should we do?"

"Well, they're good guys," said Mark. "And we need some answers. I say we talk to them."


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll handle this," Mark said to his friend.

"Excuse me," he said to the old man and the girl.

The girl turned, startled. Her golden hair twirled and shimmered in the light from the windows.

"Yes?" she responded, imposing yet innocent all at once.

"Uh, er, ah..."

Steve grabbed Mark by the shoulders and moved him away from the girl.

"You are not from around here, are you?" said the old man.

"No," said Steve. "No, you could definitely say that."

"Your ears are so tiny, and round."

"Yes. When you say 'around here', where is 'here' exactly?"

"Why, you're in the sanctuary."

"Yes, but the sanctuary, where?"

The old man paused a moment, with a slight glance as the girl.

"Hyrule Kingdom," he finally said.

Steve looked at Mark and nodded.

"So," said Mark. "the guy who came running out of here was..."

"You know not who he is, and yet you carry his things?"

Mark and Steve exchanged nervous looks.

"Okay, I know this looks bad," said Mark. "but believe me, we're friends. We stumbled into Link, and he, fell in the river."

The girl gasped, and the old man hung his head.

"I should have advised him to get some flippers," said the old man. "The seas can be treacherous."

"We feel really bad," said Steve. "But really, we just want to find our way home."

"I am afraid that due to your actions, nowhere will be safe. Link was the hero destined to save all the land."

Mark looked from the old man back to the girl.

"Princess Zelda," he said, eliciting a slight reaction of shock. "You were just saved from the Hyrule castle dungeon, am I right?"

"For outsiders, you know much of our world," said the old man, before the girl could reply.

"Well, your world is very famous," said Steve.

"I have sensed their spirits, and they seem honest and trustworthy," the girl finally said.

Mark and Steve glanced at each other for a few moments, and then shrugged.

"Yes, I am Princess Zelda," she said with a soft smile. "And what you have said is true. I was rescued from the dungeon by Link, whose destiny it was to save our land. And now it falls upon you."

"Whoa, whoa," said Steve. "We're not heroes. We're just looking for our way home."

"Steve, we don't know if there is a way home," said Mark. "And even if there is, this is kinda our responsibility."

Steve hesitated for a moment. "Yes, you're right. Although I think you're just a sucker for a pretty face."

"Well, I'm not denying _that_," said Mark. "But really, what other choice do we have?"

Steve quickly nodded, then gripped his sword firmly and turned back to the old man and Zelda.

"Okay, we'll do it. We'll take care of Ganondorf!"

The old man and Zelda exchanged quizzical glances.

"Er, Agahnim!" chimed in Mark. "Agahnim. We'll take care of that wizard."

"Right. Yes," said the old man. "I sense that a mighty evil force guides the wizard's actions and augments his magical power. The only weapon potent enough to defeat the wizard is the legendary Master Sword - but the only person remaining who has any idea of where this blade may be is the village elder. He is said to be a descendant of one of the seven wise men. Perhaps he can tell you more. I will mark his house on your map."

"Map?" asked Steve.

"Don't tell me you are wandering Hyrule without a map."

"Don't worry," said Mark. "we'll be fine. I think we can locate Sahasrahla."

"Best of luck to you!" Zelda said. Mark blushed and Steve led him out of the sanctuary.

"Strange young men," said the old man.


	5. Chapter 5

"I hope you know where we're going," said Steve.

"Don't worry, man. I've played this game dozens of times. Besides, Sahasrahla's not at his house. He's over by the Eastern Palace, thataway."

Mark pointed east of the sanctuary.

"However," he added. "it probably would be handy to have a map. Let's take a look."

They went back to where they had found the equipment, and after a quick search, found Link's map, along with a few more rupees and a small lantern.

"Here, you hold on to this," said Mark, handing Steve the map.

"Is there anything we need to get before we go see Saha-whatsisface?"

"Hmm. We could stop by the village and get a bottle if we've got enough rupees."

"A bottle?! The village is on the other side of the map. Forget that, I want to get out of here. Let's go east."

"Fair enough."

The pair walked east along the river for a good while, when they were spotted by a soldier in green armor.

"Aw crap, he's seen us, and he doesn't look happy," said Steve. "He's coming right at us. What do we do?"

"You're the one with the sword."

"I haven't practiced with this thing. It's heavy."

"Maybe we can outrun him. That armor looks even heavier."

"Hey!" shouted the soldier, mere feet away from Mark and Steve. He drew his sword and looked ready to attack.

"Wha-!" Mark reacted. His eyes rolled up. "The green hat! Shoot, I didn't think about that! He thinks I'm Link."

"Dang. Now we _have_ to run!"

"Uhh, I think we're too late for that. Quick, your sword!"

Steve braced his sword to block the attack. The soldier was much more capable, and forced Steve's sword to the ground.

"Crap, he's good!" said Steve. He dropped the sword and grabbed his shield with both hands. He was able to much more effectively block with the shield. The soldier kept swinging, forcing Steve to keep stepping back and block.

"Mark, I can't hold him for long! Grab the sword!"

The soldier pushed forward, and had Steve bending over backwards, straining to keep the shield between them.

"I've got a better idea," said Mark. He threw his boomerang, which hit the soldier in the back and instantly returned to Mark.

Steve felt no more resistance from the soldier. He opened his eyes and peered around the shield. The soldier was frozen in place, with his sword still lying against the shield, but no longer moving forward.

"_Now_ let's run!" shouted Mark. "Grab your sword, quick, this effect doesn't last for long!"

Steve and Mark rushed away, and kept running until they were deep into a graveyard, where they collapsed behind a tombstone.

"Man," panted Steve. "this ... is gonna be ... tougher ... than it looks."

"You just ... y'know ... need to get a feel for it. Practice a little."

Steve glared over at his friend. "Maybe you could take off ... the hat. Stop making people think ... you're Link."

"Not gonna happen. Too stylish."

"Hmm, yeah. Guess I'd better practice."


	6. Chapter 6

Steve spent some time practicing with the sword. Mark took the shield and presented a moving target.

"Not bad," said Mark.

"Yeah, this sword is pretty easy to get used to. Ooo, and check this out! Step back a bit."

Mark did as he was told, and Steve held the sword straight out in front of himself. After a moment a small spark appeared at the tip of the sword, and Steve swung around, neatly trimming any nearby branches and shrubbery.

"Nice work," said Mark, handing the shield back to Steve. "I think we're ready to continue on."

They headed back to the east again, still ducking out of the way when they caught glimpse of any soldiers. Steve reasoned that there was no reason not to play it safe. If it had been a Final Fantasy world they were in, maybe they'd gain experience from battles, but in this world they didn't need to fight if they didn't have to.

Finally, they came to the east side of the map with relatively little incidence. A couple of soldiers had almost spotted them, but Mark took care of them with his boomerang so they could sneak past.

"Okay, so here we are," said Steve. "Do you know where the Sahasarasa dude lives?"

"Yeah, he's over that way. But he'll just tell us to go to the Eastern Palace, which is this way. I say we skip him and just go ahead to the palace."

"Okay. But, wait. Doesn't he give us the Pegasus Boots? It'd be nice to get through the palace a bit quicker."

"Yes, but he won't give it to us until we show him the pendant from the palace. Let's just skip him for now."

"Yeah, let's go."

Steve marched directly toward where Mark indicated the palace was. As he walked by a statue of an ancient looking soldier, the statue began to shake.

"Uhh, Steve! Steve, come back, quickly!"

Steve paused, and glanced over at the statue. The fierce looking soldier looked very strong, and was beginning to look angry as it rumbled.

"Crap!" shouted Steve, ducking away as the statue came to life.

The statue began hopping, and slowly moved towards Mark and Steve.

"What do we do?" asked Steve. "He's blocking our path!"

"Well, you've practiced with your sword, right? Time to put it to use."

"Against _that_? It's a statue. And it's _huge._"

Steve slashed his sword against the living statue. The statue jumped back a bit, but continued forward.

Steve backed up a step and slashed again.

"Man," said Steve. "this thing is tough! And we can't go back much farther. Are you sure this will work? What about your boomerang?"

"Right!" Mark snapped his fingers, remembering his weapon. He flung the boomerang at the statue, which ceased hopping.

Steve lowered his sword and breathed a quick sigh of relief.

"Don't get comfy," Mark said, as the statue began to shake once more.

"Already? Really?!" Steve raised his sword and slashed it into the statue again, but it relentlessly continued forward.

Mark tossed his boomerang again, and the statue froze.

"Quick! Finish it off!"

Steve slashed his sword into the statue. It shook again, but Mark stunned it once more with the boomerang. Steve slashed with his sword again, and finally the statue became inanimate, and toppled to the ground, shattering.

"How many more of those are there between us and the palace?" asked Steve.

"Quite a few," said Mark.

"Well, can we sneak around them without being noticed?"

"Haha, yes. Just don't get close and we'll be fine. Let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

"Welcome, to the Eastern Palace."

"Mark, do you really have to narrate? This is creepy enough as it is."

"Haha, sorry."

Mark and Steve slowly entered the palace. It was darker than they expected, but they could still see that the old dark green bricks were crumbling. In places where there were no cobwebs, the walls seemed to be dripping with a dark sticky slime. Dust covered the floor, and the place seemed completely deserted.

"Three doors," said Steve. "So which way do we go?"

"The middle one. There should be a switch on the floor that opens it."

"Yeah, maybe it's under this clay pot!" Steve drew his sword and swung at the pot, which shattered and revealed a round switch on the floor. He began to step on the switch.

"No, wait!" shouted Mark.

But Steve's foot hit the switch.

The door opened.

Nothing happened.

"There. See."

Suddenly a mass of orange and violet tentacles came screaming out the middle door. It stopped between Steve and Mark for a split second, and then leaped right at Steve.

"Aaa! Aaaa! What _is_ this thing?"

"Pretty simple creature," said Mark. "This is just the first dungeon. One swing with your sword should take care of it."

"Aaa! It's smothering me! I can't even get to my sword."

"Okay, hang on." Mark carefully aimed, and tossed his boomerang. It hit Steve squarely on his forehead and returned to Mark.

"Ow! Ow! Not helping!"

"Sorry. Here, I got it this time." Mark aimed again, and this time hit Steve on the shin.

"Ow! Quit it, I'll take my chances with this thing!"

"Eh, you're squirming too much. Hmm, I wonder if this'll work."

Mark walked up to the creature, drew his arm back, and slammed the boomerang right into the tentacles. The creature froze in place.

"I still can't reach my sword," said Steve. "I'm tangled up in this thing pretty good."

Mark grabbed the sword and handed it to Steve. Steve held it straight for a moment until the spark appeared, and then spun around, taking out the creature with a bright flash.

"There," said Steve, casually wiping tentacle residue off his sleeves. "No problem."

"There's more in the next room," said Mark. "so let's be careful."

Steve and Mark walked into the room beyond, and the door slammed shut behind them.

"Shoot, I can't see," said Steve. "Was this room really this dark in the game?"

"No, I don't think so. The game would've been way too hard if it was this dark."

"So what do we do in here?"

"Well, there should be another tile in here that opens doors on both ends of the hallway."

"Yeah, but how will we find the tile?"

"I think this one looks like a regular floor tile, which would be hard enough to find even if we could see - wait a minute, I've got that lantern."

Mark lit the lantern and looked down at the floor. The tile was right between the two of them.

"See," Mark said. "No problem."

Mark stepped on the tile, and both doors opened. Mark looked triumphantly back up at his friend, whose face was frozen in shock.

"Now we just - huh, what's wrong?"

Mark turned around to stare right in the face (well, if it _had_ a face...) of another tentacled creature. The glow from the lantern made the monster all the more frightening.

"Yikes!" shouted Mark. He reached for his boomerang, but was tackled by the creature before he could get to it.

"Mark!" shouted Steve, snapping out of his shock. He drew his sword, but hesitated, not wanting to miss and hit his friend.

"Steve! You got this! C'mon!"

Steve braced himself and swung the sword in an arc, cringing the whole time. He felt that he made contact, but couldn't bear to look. He gripped the sword tightly, and turned away.

Then he heard Mark scream.

"Mark!"

Steve looked back over to where his friend was. The creature was gone. Mark sat by his lantern, looking distraught.

"My hat," Mark said, showing Steve the small tear in the green hat.

"You jerk."

Mark chuckled and put the hat back on.

"You said there were more of those things in here, right?"

Mark nodded.

"Then let's get outta here."

Mark didn't argue that. They ran through the next door.


	8. Chapter 8

"What room is this?" asked Steve.

The room they were in was not dark. They stood on a balcony overlooking a hallway. In the hallway below several solid spheres were rolling down the hall towards them. Most were small, but others nearly filled the entire hall.

"This doesn't look so bad." Steve said.

"It's not. It just _looks _difficult. We just gotta duck into the alcoves whenever the bigger spheres come."

"Oh yeah, no problem," Steve said as they headed down the staircase to the hallway. "They're moving pretty slow."

Suddenly they heard a sound much like a cross between a smash and a squish. They looked behind them to see that three more of the tentacled creatures had just followed them through the door.

"Yeah, but we gotta move fast!" said Mark, hurrying his friend down the stairs.

At the bottom of the staircase, they stood next to the path of the spheres. In order to get through the room, they had to navigate up the hall in the opposite direction.

"Okay," said Steve, bracing himself. "we can do this."

"We _have_ to do this."

"Okay... go!"

As one of the smaller spheres went by, they ducked around it and into the hallway. They cautiously moved forward, and sidestepped around the smaller spheres.

"They're still coming after us!" said Steve.

"Don't look back! Look ahead of us!"

Just ahead of them was a giant sphere that spanned the width of the hallway.

"No getting around that!" said Steve. "Into an alcove!"

"Um, where's the alcove?"

Steve looked behind them.

"We just passed one!"

"Those guys are right behind us!"

"No choice! Where's your boomerang?"

"Right, right!" Mark tossed his boomerang, which hit the creature in the lead. It froze in place, blocking the creature behind it.

Mark and Steve ducked around the creatures and moved into the alcove. The giant sphere continued past them, squashing the tentacled creatures flat.

Mark couldn't help but look.

"Eww, gruesome."

"Here's our chance! Let's go!"

Steve and Mark raced up the hall, At the end they dived to the left, out of the path of the spheres. There they stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

"That wasn't so bad," said Steve.

"Yeah, but _that_ is."

Steve looked back to see that one of the monsters had also made it past the spheres. He quickly turned to race up the stairway to the next balcony, with Mark right behind him. On the top of the balcony there was a door to the next room. They rushed through the door, but Steve suddenly stopped, causing Mark to bump into him.

"My sword!" shouted Steve. "I dropped it back there!"

"Crap! That monster is right- ack!"

Mark had turned around to see the creature right behind them in the doorway. He quickly tossed the boomerang and the creature froze in place.

"Well, now I can't get in to get the sword," said Steve.

"Well, he was about to get us."

"We need that sword."

"No arguments here. But he's blocking the doorway."

"Well, he'll unfreeze soon. You'll just have to lure him away from the door so I can go back."

"Ah, so I'm bait?"

"Pretty much. Lure him that way. I'll hide over here. Quickly, here he comes!"

"Ack!" Mark threw his boomerang again as the creature leaped at him.

"Okay, keep him distracted! I'll be right back!"

"Wait, what? Steve!"

Steve disappeared into the door, and the creature started to quiver again. Mark backed up a step, and threw the boomerang again. The creature advanced closer this time before freezing. Mark backed up again, watching the creature quiver. It was about to come to life, and Mark had to time it just right.

The creature leaped once more. Mark was just a bit too slow to react. He cringed as the creature was almost upon him. But it never reached.

Mark opened his eyes. The creature was gone. Steve stood before him, wielding the sword and grinning.

"No worries, I got it."

"We- we need some more weapons."


	9. Chapter 9

Steve sheathed his sword and thought a moment.

"Shouldn't there be a weapon in this dungeon somewhere?" he asked.

"Yes. Actually, it's right down there."

Mark pointed to a giant treasure chest that was just under the ledge they were standing on. "It should be the bow and arrows," he said.

"Awesome! So what are we waiting for!" Steve jumped off the ledge to the level below them.

"Wait, we need to get the key that unlocks that thing first!" Mark followed his friend.

"_This_ is my key!" shouted Steve, holding his sword up above the chest. He swung it down.

"Wait, I don't think that's..."

The lid of the chest splintered and broke right behind the lock.

"... going to work. Huh."

"Yes!" said Steve, pulling the treasure out of the chest. "Bow and arrows!"

"Hey, give it to me! My weapon only stuns."

"Yeah, but I need a long range weapon."

"You can have the boomerang!"

"No way, you called the boomerang long ago."

"Yeah, but that's because you had the sword."

"Look, I'm-"

While they argued, four skeletons suddenly dropped down from above, and floated menacingly towards Mark and Steve. Steve quickly fired off several arrows, which hit three of the skeletons.

"Ack!" shouted Mark, ducking to avoid the fourth skeleton. "Stalfos!"

"I'm out of arrows!"

"Try one of the pots!"

Steve smashed his sword into a clay pot, which held more rupees. Steve pocketed them, but what he needed were arrows. He found another clay pot.

"Steve..." said Mark, backing away from the approaching Stalfos.

"Got it!" shouted Steve, arming his bow. Mark stunned the skeleton, and Steve quickly dispatched it.

"Okay," said Mark. "You can have the bow and arrows."

"Alright. So where to now?"

Mark pointed behind the chest to a giant door.

"We need to get the key to unlock that thing," he said.

"Hey, I've got my key!" said Steve, hoisting his sword.

"That door is solid stone, not wood like the treasure chest. You'll break the sword if you try that."

"Ohh, alright."

Steve and Mark had an uneventful trip to find the key that would fit the lock on the door. Beyond the door they walked through a few more rooms.

"Okay," said Mark. "This next room should house the pendant we are looking for."

"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Steve, heading through the door.

"Wait, hold up!" said Mark, quickly following.

"Oh, crap!" said Steve, looking around the room. Six blue statues, much like the one they had encountered outside of the palace, but twice as big and appearing much more powerful. The door slammed shut behind them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Steve.

"I thought you knew."

"Well, we'll be alright as long as we don't get too close, right?"

Suddenly the statues began to rumble.


	10. Chapter 10

"Crap!" Steve shouted again as the statues hopped up and down and began moving.

"Eh, don't worry," said Mark. "These guys move in a predictable pattern. Just keep shooting arrows at them."

Steve fired an arrow, which just missed one of the statues.

"C'mon, you've played video games enough," said Mark. "Don't shoot where they _are_, shoot where they're going to be."

"Right, right. I'm just shaky."

Steve fired another arrow, which directly hit the nearest statue. It recoiled a bit, but continued hopping in a circle with its fellow statues.

"Yeah! There ya go!"

"Can't you help? What about your boomerang?"

Mark tossed a boomerang. Another statue slightly recoiled, but was otherwise unfazed.

"It won't freeze them," said Mark. "I think because they're the boss of this temple."

Steve continued to fire arrows, while Mark did what he could with his boomerang, while trying to stay out of the way.

Finally, Steve shot one of the statues enough to cause it to dissolve into many little pieces, which rained on him and Mark, but were basically harmless.

"I got one!" Steve shouted.

"Great, kid! Don't get cocky!"

Steve smiled and continued firing his arrows. One by one he took out the statues until there was only one left. Steve sighed, figuring they were almost finished.

Suddenly the final statue stopped, turned red, and started shaking. It jumped up very high.

"Okay," said Mark. "It's not gonna be predictable now."

"What?!"

"Move!"

Steve looked up and saw the statue bearing down on him. He dived out of the way before it crashed into the floor where he had been standing.

"Quick, get it!" shouted Mark.

Steve readied his bow, but the statue leaped up again just as he fired his shot.

The statue came down again, but this time Steve was ready. He rolled out of the way and fired his arrow just as the statue came crashing down. It recoiled a bit, but then immediately leaped again.

"Yeah, you've got this!" shouted Mark, as Steve hit the statue several more times.

"How many more times do I have to hit him? Feels like this is taking longer than the others."

"Should be almost there!"

Steve readied his bow once more, but suddenly realized that he had nothing to shoot with it.

"Crap, I'm out of arrows!"

The statue leaped once more.

"The sword! Your sword should work, too!"

Steve reached for his sword.

"Wait! Move!" shouted Mark.

The statue came crashing down hard, right onto Steve.

Mark turned away from the sight. He couldn't bear to look. After a few moments, he slowly turned back to see.

Pieces of the statue were raining everywhere, blocking Mark's view. When they were gone, he saw Steve still standing, holding the sword straight up with both hands and cringing.

"Steve!" Mark shouted excitedly. "You did it!"

Steve opened his eyes and saw that he and Mark were alone in the room.

"Whew," he said. "that was crazy!"

"And look, there's the pendant! You take it, you've earned it."

Steve grabbed the green pendant.

"Nice," he said. "Now let's go see Sasafrasa."


	11. Chapter 11

"You are incorrect, young man. I am not Sarasarasarasa. I am Sahasrahla, the village elder and a descendant of the seven wise men."

Steve and Mark had found their way out of the Eastern Palace and were standing in Sahasrahla's hideout.

"Heh, sorry about that," said Steve.

"You two do not look familiar. You are not from around here."

"Err, no, not really," said Mark. "But we know we must find the Master Sword."

"I'm surprised that ones as young as you are seeking the sword of evil's bane. Not just anyone can use that sword. According to the tales, only the one who has won the three pendants can wield the sword-"

Steve held up the pendant they got in the palace.

"Ahh, I see you have acquired the Pendant of Courage. Generations ago, an order of knights protected the royalty. These knights of Hyrule were also guardians of the pendant. It's been said that whenever disaster waylays the royal family, a hero shall emerge from the bloodline of the knights of Hyrule."

"Yeah, about that," said Mark. "we kinda stumbled into the hero."

"Yeah, and he kinda fell into the river," added Steve.

"And he kinda... died."

"Oh my," said Sahasrahla, uncharacteristically fazed. "Oh my oh my. You do realize that means you must complete his task. Of course you do, that's why you already have the pendant. So what more can I do for you?"

"Well we hear you have some pretty sweet boots to give us," said Steve.

"Ah yes, it is a treasure passed down by the families of the wise men." Sahasrahla handed a pair of brown boots to Steve.

"Nice! Now I can execute a devastating dash attack!"

"Hey, why do you get all the items?" asked Mark.

"Well, I asked for them."

"And you didn't even thank him."

"Oh, right! Thanks, Sahas... Sabas... um, thank you, sir!"

"Use it well, young man. Find the remaining pendants!"

"We will, sir!" said Mark. He and Steve turned to exit the hideout.

"But I must caution you," said Sahasrahla. "As you are not of this world, I do not sense a connection to you. I will not be able to contact you telepathically. Be careful, and return here anytime you need guidance."

"Gotcha," said Mark, following his friend out the door.

Steve was outside already trying on the boots.

"Snug," he said.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Steve wandered out into an open area and assumed a runner's stance. Suddenly he shot forward. Mark could only see a blur pass by him.

"Steve, watch out! You're heading right for that-"

Steve slammed into a tree. Mark ran over to where Steve now sat on the ground, dazed.

"Couldn't... turn," said Steve. "I could only go straight ahead."

Mark laughed. "I guess you'll have to practice _stopping_."

"First I gotta get my head to stop spinning. That hurt!"

Mark noticed a tiny winged creature slowly descending from the tree branches.

"Hey, a faerie! You shook it out of the tree when you hit it. See if you can catch it."

Steve reached out and touched the little creature. Suddenly it flew a couple of rings around Steve, shaking dust on him before it flew straight up into the air.

"Nice," said Steve, standing up and flexing. "I feel much better. So where to now?"

"The next pendant is in the desert. But first we've got to get a book from the village if we want to enter the palace."

"Well, with the Pegasus Boots, we can get there in no time." Steve prepared to run again, but stopped himself and looked back at his friend.

"Hmm, _we_ can't use the boots, can we?" he asked Mark.

"Yeah, I'd been thinking about that. What if we each took one?"

They tried splitting them up, but neither one of them would work alone.

"They must be magically linked," said Mark.

"So what do we do?"

"We can split up. You take the boots and head to the village. Here, I'll mark it on your map. I'll go to the Desert Palace and meet you there. I'd better mark that for you, too."

"Split the party, huh? Are you sure about this?"

"It's the quickest way. Just remember to stop when you need to turn. Oh, also, can I borrow the bow and arrows for this? I've got no offensive weapons."

"Y- yeah, sure." Steve handed the bow and arrows to his friend.

"Don't worry," said Mark, waving as he headed south.

Steve doubled checked his map, watched his friend head off, and then took off to the west.


	12. Chapter 12

It didn't take long for Steve to reach Kakariko Village, once he got used to the Pegasus Boots. He did have to stop many times, but he was getting adept at making quick stop and goes.

Once he was in the village, he stopped using the boots, as he needed to look out for the library. Walking around the center of the village he found, other than a large inn, only residential buildings.

The village was quiet, with few people wandering about. Steve attempted to approach someone to ask about the library, but she ran off quickly. He would have definitely been able to catch her with his boots, but he didn't want to frighten her any further.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve spotted a soldier patrolling the city. He ducked behind a bush until he was sure that he was out of sight, and then sped north to another part of the village.

Steve walked over to another house, where a woman was pacing back and forth in the front yard.

"Uh, excuse me-" he started.

The woman looked up, and a look of shock appeared on her face.

"Hey!" she cried. "It's the wanted man! He's over here! Soldiers! Anyone! Come quickly!" Then she ran into the house and slammed the door.

"Yikes, so much for my cover!"

Steve looked back to the south where he had seen the soldier, but there was no sight of him.

He didn't see another soldier approach from the other direction and grab his arm. Steve was so startled that he dropped his sword.

"Aha," said the soldier. "you're in cahoots with the princess's kidnapper, Link!"

"Wha-" said Steve. "how does everybody know..."

It was only then that Steve saw the sign planted by the road with his face and Mark's crudely drawn on it which said: "WANTED! For aiding the criminal who kidnapped Princess Zelda. Call a soldier if you see them."

"Oh, come on!" shouted Steve, twisting his arm away from the soldier.

"Hey!" shouted the soldier as Steve shot off.

"Heh heh," chuckled Steve, looking behind him at the puzzled soldier. He didn't realize there was a tree right in his path, and he slammed right into it.

Steve slumped to the ground, and saw two soldiers approaching him. He clumsily felt around for his sword, but then remembered he had dropped it before running. He slowly picked himself off the ground, and shook his head. The two soldiers changed back into one, it had just been his double vision from hitting the tree. But the soldier was still between him and his sword.

Steve raised his shield and prepared to run. He headed straight for the startled soldier. The soldier raised his sword, but Steve plowed into him with his shield. Steve took some damage from the collision, but it also knocked the soldier aside and out of his way.

Steve stopped at his dropped sword and took a moment to catch his breath. He wasn't in much condition to fight, but he also wasn't in much condition for running.

The soldier was quickly approaching again, so Steve picked up his blade. He started to raise it, but the soldier used his foot to shove him back to the ground.

Steve turned over onto his back in time to see the soldier thrust his weapon down at him. Steve rolled out of the way just before it hit him. He quickly stood up, which made him a little light headed.

The soldier turned back around and glared at Steve.

"I don't _have_ to bring you in alive," he told him.

Steve glared back and slowly raised his sword level to the ground. It took all his strength to keep it from wobbling.

The soldier approached.

Steve's sword sparked.

Steve spun around, striking the soldier down to the ground.

Breathing heavily, Steve collapsed.


	13. Chapter 13

When Steve came to, he was lying in a comfortable bed.

_Must have all been a dream, _he thought.

He stretched his arms and yawned, which got the attention of the woman who was in the room. Steve opened his eyes a bit, and could barely see her approaching in the darkness.

"Mom? Mom is that you?"

"There there, now. Just relax. You've been asleep for a long time now."

"I had a horrible nightmare. I dreamed that I was zapped - to another world. It was terrible."

"Well, you're safe and sound now, back in good old Hyrule."

"Hyrule?!" Steve opened his eyes wide and saw that the woman sitting by his bed was not his mother, but an older woman whom he'd never met before.

"You were found passed out in the middle of the road," the woman said. "We know the knights are searching for you, so we brought you here before more could find you."

"Wh- where is here?"

"You are in the house of Sahasrahla. And it is 10 o'clock in the morning, on October the 24th if you want to know."

"And who is we?"

"Why, myself, and this young lad."

Steve looked over and saw a very excitable young boy hopping up and down.

"Did you meet the old man? If all the bad people go away, he can come back to the village!"

"I did meet him," said Steve, slowly sitting up. "I was supposed to come to Kakariko Village to find a book, but I got lost, and now I'm wasting time while Mark is waiting for me."

Steve turned to the side and swung his legs off the bed.

"I've gotta find that book, quickly!"

"Oh," said the boy. "you mean the Book of Mudora! That's in the library, south of the village! I can show you where that is."

"South of the village? That's the way I came from."

"I'll show you! I'll show you! Come on!"

"Are you sure you're in good enough condition to go?" asked the woman.

"I can't just sit here," said Steve. "Who knows how long Mark has been waiting by the Desert Palace. Kid, lead me to the library."

Steve was led to the southern outskirts of the village, just past the entrance, where there were a few buildings.

"Hmm," said Steve, thinking out loud. "I remember coming this way. But where is the library?"

"Over here! The building with the big picture of a book on the front."

"Oh, I must have been dashing so fast I never even saw it."

Steve followed the boy into the library. It was a small library, due to the small population of the village. Steve looked around the bookcases, but didn't see the book he was looking for.

"Hey, kid, is one of these the Book of Mudora?"

"Oh, the book of Mudora is a large green book," said the kid. "Wait! I see it, I see it! It's on top of that bookshelf!"

"That's a pretty tall bookshelf. How do they get that down?"

"Maybe if you hit it really hard, it'll fall down!"

"Oh, no no no. I keep getting hurt that way."

"Have you tried using your shoulder? I'm always running into things, but I learned to hit them with my shoulder, an' it hurts much less!"

Steve sighed.

"Well, we need that book, I suppose it's worth a try."

Steve quickly dashed towards the bookshelf, leading with his shoulder and cringing. He hit the bookshelf with a large thud, and fell back, but was completely unscathed.

"Hey, alrigh-" he started.

The book came tumbling down and landed on his head.

"Ouch! Hey, here it is!"

Steve got up and mussed the kid's hair.

"Thanks a lot, kid. You're alright. Now I gotta rush to the desert, quickly!"


	14. Chapter 14

Even with the swiftness of the Pegasus Boots, it felt to Steve like it took days to finally reach the desert. He knew it couldn't have been that long, but he was still worried about showing up so late.

It wasn't too long before the desert heat started to become unbearable. Steve kept moving, but stopped more frequently to catch his breath.

On one of his stops, he pulled out the map to double check that he was on the right path. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and glanced around.

_Sand in all directions,_ he thought. _I sure hope I'm going the right way._

As he rolled up the map, he felt the ground start to shake.

_Earthquake? Just what I need..._

The sand directly in front of him began to rise up like a mountain growing out of the ground, and then sifted down to reveal a brown humanoid creature that was twice Steve's size.

"Yikes!" Steve reached for his bow to fire an arrow in the creature's face, but remembered he no longer had it. He went for his sword, but the creature knocked Steve back with the back of its hand.

"I don't need this," Steve said to himself, as he sprinted off in another direction. Suddenly the ground shook again and another creature, just like the first one, popped up in front of him.

"Crap!" Steve shouted, as he ducked this creature's swipe. He turned to his left and readied his sword, sprinting off once more. This time when the ground shook, he stopped and backed up a step. The third creature to pop up towered over Steve, raising its fists above its head. Steve jumped back as the creature swung down at him. Sand flew everywhere, but Steve noticed the creature was still close to the ground.

Quickly Steve swung his sword down, and connected with the creature's head. The creature recoiled, but instantly came charging back at Steve.

Steve swung his sword back up, which connected with the creature once more, finishing it off.

Steve wiped his brow again as the sand settled. When it cleared, he saw he was standing right next to a giant square plaza. Walking around, he found a set of stairs that led him up to the plaza.

Looking around the plaza, he saw that it was mostly barren. Two stone heads sat in the corners behind him, and one in the middle in front, blocking another long staircase. That led up to an even larger stone head, and into a cave forming a mouth.

_Could this be the Desert Palace? Then where is Mark?_

Directly in the center of the plaza was a green stone. Steve walked up to it to see if there was any sign. There was script carved on the stone, but nothing he could recognize.

Steve went over to the stone head that was blocking the stairs. It was larger than him, and he found himself unable to budge it. Was this the only way to get into the palace?

He considered searching the area to see if he could find another way to enter, but the desert heat was starting to get to him. He went back to the engraved stone and tried to make sense of it again, but the fatigue was not helping him.

He turned around and scanned the entire area, but every direction was an endless sea of sand. He didn't want to go out and risk seeing another one of those creatures, not as tired as he was. He sank down and leaned back against the stone. His eyelids grew heavy.

_Where is Mark?_


	15. Chapter 15

Steve was awakened by a blast of cold.

"What the heck?" he shouted, shaking his head and leaning forward.

"You looked hot," said a voice.

Steve rubbed his eyes and looked up at the voice.

"Mark?!"

"Haha, yep," said Mark, giving Steve a hand getting up. "Sorry I'm late."

"Late? I thought you had gone in the palace already."

"Nah, I couldn't have gotten in the palace without the book, which I see you found alright."

"Er, yeah. So you just got here?"

"Yeah, sorry. I took a little detour around Lake Hylia to get this bad boy."

Mark presented a short blue staff with a blue sapphire set at one end. He pointed it down, and a spray shot out of the sapphire leaving a patch of ice on the ground.

"Ooo, Ice Rod! So that's what woke me up."

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize that it would make me so late. How long have you been waiting here?"

"Um, I wasn't here too long before I fell asleep." Steve told Mark about his trip to Kakariko Village.

"Let's not split up again," said Steve. "And let's get into the palace. Do you know how?"

"Well, we're supposed to use the Book of Mudora by this stone you were using as a pillow."

"Yeah, but I can't figure it out."

"Hmm, I remember we're supposed to make a wish by the stone."

"Just make a wish? That's all? What do we need this stupid book for?"

"I don't know, I guess we need its magic to make the wish work. Here, let's try it. I wish we could enter the Desert Palace."

Nothing happened.

"Now you try," said Mark. "Open the book and make a wish."

"Hrmm, okay, I wish we could enter the Desert Palace."

Steve slammed the book shut. "See? Nothing."

Suddenly the sky grew dark. The three stone heads surrounding them started to rumble, and then shifted in a circle around them. When they stopped moving, the path behind them was blocked, but the way forward was cleared and the sky was back to normal.

"There you go," said Mark. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's get inside."

Steve and Mark climbed the stairway and walked in the cave.

"Welcome, to the Desert Palace."

"Oh, don't start that again!"


	16. Chapter 16

The Desert Palace was not as dark as the Eastern Palace; in fact, it was quite well illuminated. But it was in much worse condition. The wide open hall had crumbling walls, and the floor was covered in sand.

"I don't like sand," said Steve. "It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."

"Well, let's get through this quickly then."

As they moved forward a small cactus-like creature popped up out of the sand and moved toward them.

"Well, not _too _quickly I guess," said Mark.

Steve was quick to react, swinging his sword in a downward arc and following through with an arc in the opposite direction, cleanly slicing through the creature, which disintegrated.

"Very nice," said Mark. "but check this out." Three more cactus creatures were approaching from around them, but Mark fired the Ice Rod, and the creatures froze in place.

"This time it won't wear off, like with the boomerang."

"Well, that is handy."

"Yes, but we still have to watch out for - _that!_" Mark pulled Steve out of the way just as a red beam of light almost hit them. The beam had come from a statue with a rotating eye.

"I can't freeze that thing. We just have to avoid that eye and we'll be fine."

"Man, they're not making this easy."

"Don't worry, we're not too far from the treasure. It's just behind this door."

Mark and Steve walked through the door into the treasure room.

"And I've got my key," Steve said, brandishing his sword. He broke open the chest and peered inside.

"Metal gloves," he said.

"Power gloves. To lift heavy stuff."

"Sweet! Mine!" Steve fitted the gloves on his hands.

"Hey, you got the last treasure!"

"Yeah, but you went and got the Ice Rod, leaving me in the desert. _And_ you still have _my _bow and arrows."

"Yeah, but- well- Dang, I got nothin'. Okay, you can have the gloves."

"And the bow?"

"And the bow."

"And I get the pendant."

"And you- hey, what?!"

"They're a matched set. Gotta keep them together."

"Ohhh okay. Now let's find the key to the boss lair."

The rest of the palace was a simple task, now that Steve could lift the boulders in their way. He was also able to throw them at creatures in the way.

Soon they got to the final door before they encountered the boss.

"Okay, are you ready?" asked Mark.

"Yeah, let's do this."

They readied their weapons, and opened the door.


	17. Chapter 17

"Huh? There's nothing in here." Steve wandered into the room. "Just more sand."

Steve turned back to Mark, who was cautiously looking around the room. "Isn't this supposed to be the boss room?"

Mark held a hand out. "Just wait."

The sand beneath Steve began to quake. "Ohh, not again..."

"Get back!" shouted Mark, before realizing Steve was already doing just that.

Suddenly a giant green centipede-like creature shot out from the sand beneath where Steve had been standing, and flew up in an arc.

"What _is_ that thing?" shouted Steve.

"Lanmola! And watch out, there's-"

The ground rumbled beneath Steve again.

"-more of them."

Steve dodged to the left just as another creature sprung out of the ground.

"So what do we do?"

"_We? You've _got the sword, and the bow and arrows. Aim for the head."

"Right, right." Steve aimed the bow and shot an arrow at the first creature, but barely missed just as the creature burrowed back into the ground.

"Remember, aim-"

"Aim where it's going to be, not where it is, yeah yeah, I know!"

Steve fired another arrow, hitting the second creature square in the face.

"There ya go!" shouted Mark, just before another creature burst out of the ground and knocked him over.

"Mark!" Steve was distracted, and missed when he fired an arrow at the third creature.

The ground shook again, but Mark lay still. Steve readied another arrow, but kept glancing back at his friend to see if he would get up again. He didn't.

Steve slowly sidled over to Mark, pausing to take a shot whenever he could.

"Mark!" Steve nudged him with his foot. Mark moaned, but still didn't get up. Steve stood by him to defend him from the creatures.

After several shots, Steve finally finished off one of the creatures. The other two continued to shoot out of the ground and arc above his head before burrowing back into the ground.

Finally, Mark started to come to. "Unngh, what happened?"

"You were knocked out by one of these Linmotors."

"Lanmolas."

"Whatever. I've got one of them so far." He fired another arrow. "Make that _two_."

"Nice job." Mark lifted his head and started rubbing the back of it.

"Whoa, crap! This last one is fast!"

Steve fired his arrows twice, but the creature had become faster, so he missed both shots.

"I'm out of arrows!"

Steve dropped the bow and started fumbling for his sword, when he saw the third creature coming right at him.

He didn't think he could react quick enough, so he went for his shield instead.

Suddenly a spray of ice came from behind him, striking the creature and finishing it off.

Steve sighed heavily, and turned around to see Mark holding the Ice Rod.

"Whew, nice work, man. Thanks!"

"Hey, you did all the work, and you kept me safe. I just got the last part." Mark gestured at the blue pendant which was now sitting in the middle of the room. "You've earned that."

Steve grabbed the pendant. "Sweet, where to now?"

"I'll let you know, after a... quick nap."


	18. Chapter 18

After the quick nap, Steve and Mark were on their way out of the desert.

"Man, this place was awful," said Steve. "I hope we never have to come here again. So which way do we go now?"

"Hmm, probably through Kakariko Village to get to Death Mountain."

"Oh man, not that place again."

They walked quickly through the village, trying to avoid attention from the guards as well as the villagers. The approached the northern edge of the village.

"You, sirs! Have you been going through life without one of my hold-anything bottles? Well, step right up and make your life complete!"

Steve looked over at Mark. "Was he talking to us?"

"Yeah, he's the bottle guy."

"A _bottle_?"

"Might be handy." Mark walked to the salesman. "How much?"

"I've got one on sale for the low, low price of 100 rupees!"

"Hrmm, how much have we got?" Steve asked Mark.

"We've got about 300 or so rupees."

"What else do we need to get?"

"Umm, we'll need the flippers if we're gonna swim around in Hyrule."

"How much are those?"

"500 rupees."

"What do you say?" interjected the salesman. "Interested?"

"Forget you," said Steve. "C'mon, Mark. We gotta save up for the flippers."

Mark and Steve exited the village and found their way to the western edge of Death Mountain. A cave which led up to the summit was blocked by a giant stone boulder. A sign next to the boulder warned not to enter the mountain without the king's permission.

"Ha, the boulder's no match for my Power Gloves," said Steve, effortlessly removing the boulder from their path.

Mark lit the lantern to help guide them through the dark cave.

After stumbling into a few dead ends, they came across an old man sitting near a narrow passage.

"Um, hello," said Steve.

"I don't know who you are, but if you are going to go up the mountain, will you take me with you? I lost my lamp, so..."

Steve and Mark shrugged.

The old man knew his way around the caves. He gave them advice, and talked the entire way to the top.

"Uhhh... watch your step. There are holes in the ground."

"Yes, we see them," said Steve.

"Are you going to the mountains to look for the Golden Power?"

"No, we know Ganon found it already," said Mark.

"Many people have vanished in this mountain while looking for the Golden Power."

"Uh huh," Steve said dismissively.

"I don't want to steer you wrong, so please don't get involved in such a mad quest."

"Mm-hmm," said Mark.

"You know, I have a granddaughter who is your age."

"Is she cute?" asked Mark.

The old man didn't notice. "The king took her to the castle and she never returned. Kidnapping those maidens must be part of the wizard's plot! I'm sure he is trying to use the power of the descendants of the seven wise men..."

"Yeah yeah," said Steve. "Well, we're at the top. That must be your home, right?"

"Why indeed it is. Thank you, young men. Won't you come in?"

"Err, no," said Mark. "We've got to keep going to the Tower of Hera."

Mark and Steve started to edge away, but the old man continued.

"The missing maidens are still alive somewhere. I believe that a hero will rescue them... I wait for that day... Uhh... These are dangerous times... I've talked too much." Steve and Mark nodded. "Anyway... Thank you for being kind to an old man like me. Uh... I wanted to give you this. If you walk into a magical transporter, gaze into this mirror."

"Ooo, treasure!" said Mark. "I'll take this one." He looked at the mirror the old man handed to him. "It's blue, and clear, and beautiful. I feel like it's going to pull me into another world..."

"Can we use that to go home?" asked Steve.

Mark stared intently at the mirror. "Nope, nothing. Well, still, at least I've got something."

"You sure you won't come in?"

"Ooo, look at the time," said Mark.

"Yeah, we gotta go," added Steve.

Mark and Steve dashed off to the Tower of Hera.


	19. Chapter 19

The Tower of Hera looked much nicer than the other two dungeons they had been to. It was cleaner and looked as though it had better upkeep, but was still just as dangerous.

"Any idea how tall this thing is?" Steve asked when they reached the third floor.

"I can't remember. I just know the pendant is at the top."

"There sure are a lot of holes in the floor."

"Yeah, that's part of this dungeon's gimmick."

"Hey, what's this thing?"

Steve walked over to a tile on the floor with a bright yellow star on it.

"Part of the gimmick," said Mark. "that moves the holes in the ground."

"No way, this I gotta see!"

Steve quickly stepped on the switch. The hole in front of them became normal floor, while the floor just beneath Mark became a hole.

Steve didn't immediately notice Mark fall. "Whoa, that's - crazy. Mark?!" He ran over to the new hole in the floor and peered down. He saw Mark lying on the floor below.

"Mark, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Mark glared up at his friend. "But _warn _me next time you do that. Hold on, I'm coming back up."

Mark rejoined Steve, and they continued on to the next floor.

"Lot more holes on this floor," said Steve.

"Yeah, let's just steer clear of the star switches."

"Wait, look! There's the treasure, just down that hall. But that giant hole is blocking it."

"That hole is way too big, I'm not gonna try jumping that."

"So how do we get to - ahh, we _have_ to use the star switches. Here's one right here."

"Wait a second." Mark stood right next to Steve. "Okay, now go for it."

Steve stepped on the switch. A few holes moved around, but the big one just moved closer to the treasure chest, keeping it blocked. Steve tried the switch again, and the hole moved back to its original position.

"What the..." said Steve. "How are we supposed to get the treasure?"

"C'mon, let's keep going up and get that pendant."

Finally, they reached the top floor. This was the biggest boss room yet. There was a sunken area, where a giant yellow worm was skittering around.

"Crap, I actually remember this boss," said Steve. "This one is a pain."

"Yeah, the only place we can hit it is its tail."

"No problem." Steve pulled out the bow and arrows. "Aim where it's going, not where it is. We can do this from up here."

Steve fired a perfect shot, which hit the creature right in the tail, but with no effect.

"I think the sword is the only weapon that'll hurt it," said Mark.

"Well let's do this," said Steve, drawing his sword and leaping down.

"Watch out," said Mark, joining him. "he can knock us off the-"

Mark landed right next to Steve just as the giant worm came over and knocked them off the edge, down to the level below.

"Crap," said Steve, carefully getting up.

"Yeah, we've gotta be quicker."

They went back up the stairs to the top floor. Steve once again jumped in the worm's pit, sword ready. He struck the worm's tail, and the worm flashed and turned back towards him.

"Yikes! A little help!"

Mark jumped in the pit and shot the worm with the Ice Rod, with no effect. It did cause the worm to turn its attention away from Steve, who managed to strike the tail again.

"Great job, Mark! Thanks! Keep him distracted for me!"

"So I'm bait again? Wish I had those Pegasus Boots."

"No time to give 'em to you. If he knocks us off again, that'd be a good idea, though."

"Uhh, let's hope it doesn't come to that. Just finish him off now!"

Steve was able to get a couple more good hits, when the worm got fed up and directed its attention to him.

"Uh, Mark!"

"I'm trying! You've got the only effective weapon!"

"I can't get around him!"

"Hmm, lemme see..." Mark ran up to the worm's tail, and grasped it with both arms. The worm was too heavy, but it was still an effective distraction. The worm turned back again towards Mark.

"Okay, Steve." Mark was backing away from the angry worm. "Anytime now."

Steve drew his sword and charged the worm. He struck the tail, and the tail disintegrated, followed by each segment of the worm's body until the head was finally gone, too.

Steve saw the red pendant lying in the middle of the floor. He ran over and picked it up.

"Yes, we've got it! Mark?"

Steve looked around, but couldn't find his friend. He peeked over the edge and saw Mark lying on the level below again.

"That's ... great." Mark was rubbing his head. "Let's ... get outta here."


	20. Chapter 20

"Man this is pretty sweet," Steve said as they left the Tower of Hera. "We've already got the pendants, what do we do now?"

"I guess we can go to the Lost Woods and pick up the Master Sword."

"Yes! Let's do that!"

Mark and Steve made their way back down through the caves to the base of the mountain.

"The Lost Woods are just over there." Mark pointed to the west.

"What are we waiting for?" Steve rushed into the dense forest, with Mark trailing after. As soon as they entered, they were engulfed by a fog.

"_This_ is what we were waiting for," said Mark. "We have to tread carefully. Visibility is low, and there are many dangers in these woods."

"Oh yeah, like what? Bunnies and squirrels?"

Suddenly a man crashed into Steve, knocking him down. Rupees went flying everywhere. The man quickly picked up the rupees and disappeared.

"Like that," said Mark, helping his friend up. "Many thieves in this forest, and some dangerous creatures."

"Grrr, let's get him! He's quick, but I've got the Pegasus Boots!"

"Man, he's _long_ gone. These thieves have an extensive underground hideout here, we'll never find him. We just have to be more cautious."

"Hmm, alright... Anyway, we can get out of here, look what I just found!"

Steve walked over to a sword which sat in a little pedestal on the ground.

"This is it! The Master Sword!" Steve easily picked up the sword, which turned out to be very light and scrawny. "No, this can't be it... Too bad."

"Lotta fakes in this forest. We'll know the true sword when we see it."

Wandering around the forest for what seemed like hours, Steve and Mark managed to avoid any trouble, but still couldn't find the Master Sword. Just several small fakes lying around.

"Man, who would put all these crappy swords around the forest like this?" asked Steve.

"That's a good question. Maybe someone who doesn't want the Master Sword to be found. Or, could just be a way for the thieves to lure foolish victims."

"Wait, are you calling me a fool?"

"I didn't say-"

"Well it was implied."

"Yeah, well you- wait, what's that?"

"Don't you try and distract-"

"No, really. Look."

Mark indicated to the north, from where a soft light was emanating. The two of them gazed, and almost thought they heard a heavenly chorus.

"The Master Sword..." they spoke in unison.

They ran towards the light and found themselves in a clearing. Many animals were prancing about, and just beyond was a stone monument. In the middle was a massive sword, its hilt adorned with gold and rare jewels.

"No, this can't be it," said Steve. "Too bad."

Mark gave Steve a suspicious look.

"Haha, just kidding," said Steve. "Well, go ahead."

"Me? You earned all three pendants, you've earned this."

"Well, alright." Steve walked up to the pedestal where the sword sat. The three pendants began to glow. Steve grabbed the sword's hilt, and heaved. It smoothly came out, and shone brightly. The fog dissipated.

"You got the Master Sword," said Mark.


	21. Chapter 21

Steve took a couple of practice swings with his new sword.

"Well," Mark finally said. "How's it feel?"

"Surprisingly light. Very easy to wield." Steve handed Mark the other sword. "Here, you can have this piece of junk."

"Hmm, thanks. Well, at least it's another weapon for me."

"So where to now?"

"Now we go to Hyrule Castle. Agahnim is about to send Zelda to the Dark World."

"Wait, how do you know he's got Zelda?"

"He always gets her just as Link gets the Master Sword."

"Okay, so we better move quickly."

"Hmm, well, he always seems to wait until Link shows up before sending her to the Dark World, so maybe there's no hurry."

"Yeah, but I wanna go home."

"True, let's get going."

Steve and Mark crouched behind bushes just outside of the castle.

"Sure are a lot of soldiers here," said Steve.

"Yeah, but you've got the Master Sword."

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" Steve popped out of the bushes, and charged at the group of guards, swinging his new sword left and right. Mark followed behind, taking care of any remaining soldiers.

"Well, that was easy," said Steve. "This sword is great! Where to now?"

"We gotta get up to the second level."

Mark and Steve made their way up to the second story, and outside to the perimeter surrounding the courtyard. There they found a giant door, with an electric-looking magical barrier preventing access.

"Don't touch it," warned Mark. "The Master Sword should nullify it."

Steve swung the mighty sword, which canceled out the barrier. "Alright, let's go!"

"Man, I thought the Tower of Hera was tall..." said Steve.

Steve and Mark had made their way up through the labyrinth of Agahnim's Tower, fighting an array of powerful soldiers armed with a variety of weapons.

"Don't worry, we're almost there. Notice how it got eerily quiet?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah."

"We're on the last floor. Agahnim should be just beyond that door."

Steve grasped his sword. "I'm ready for him."

Mark and Steve went through the door. Agahnim the wizard stood in the center of the room, clad in green robes, the lower half of his face veiled with a green mask. He stood in front of a platform where Princess Zelda lay unconscious.

"Aha ... Steve and Mark! I have been waiting for you."

"Wait," said Mark. "you know who we are?"

"Of course! Nothing escapes my scrutiny. Heh heh heh ... I thought I would make Zelda vanish before you. Behold! Princess Zelda's final breath!"

"No way!" shouted Steve, as he and Mark began moving towards Agahnim and the princess. Suddenly they were blinded by a bright light as lightning came from the wizard's hands and engulfed Zelda. Agahnim used his magic to raise Zelda above the platform, and with a flash of light, she disappeared.

"Ho ho ho ... With this, the seal of the seven wise men is at last broken. It is only a matter of time before evil power covers this land completely ... After all, even the legendary hero couldn't defeat us, the tribe of evil, when we are armed with the Power of Gold."

"You son of a-" Mark was trying to recover from the flash of light to see where the wizard was.

"Ho ho ho ... Now, I must go!"

By the time Steve and Mark could see the wizard, he phased through the wall behind him, vanishing.


	22. Chapter 22

"What the-" said Steve.

"Pshh, lame trick. He just went through those curtains. We can follow him."

"Let's go. I'm ready for him."

"I hope you mean that this time."

Mark shoved open the curtains to make a dramatic entrance, and Steve strode through wielding the Master Sword. Agahnim stood on the other side of the room, facing them.

"Ho ho!" he shouted. "You seem to want me to finish you off! Then allow me to make your wish come true!"

"Shut up!" shouted Steve, charging at the wizard.

"No, wait!" Mark reached out too late.

Steve swung his sword, and make a clean strike! But Agahnim took no damage.

"What the heck?" said Steve. "I thought this was the Master Sword."

"Ho ho ho!" shouted Agahnim, as he phased to another section of the room. He built up a large ball of magic in his hands, and thrust it at Steve, knocking him down.

Mark ran over to Steve and helped him up.

"That _is_ the Master Sword," said Mark.

"Then what am I doing wrong?"

"You- duck!" Mark pushed Steve out of the way, as Agahnim had just appeared behind them and fired off another ball of magic, narrowly missing them.

"If the Master Sword won't work, then what?"

"We use his magic against him."

The wizard phased to another corner of the room and built up more magic.

"Huh?" said Steve.

The wizard fired the ball at them.

"Tennis," said Mark.

"Tennis?" The ball of magic closed in on them. "Tennis! Yeah!" Steve swung his sword at the ball, which turned back and hit Agahnim instead. Agahnim shouted, and phased to another part of the room.

"Yeah! That's it!" said Mark.

"We got this," said Steve, as the wizard fired another magic ball at him, which he neatly returned.

The wizard returned to his original position in the room. Steve readied his sword for another volley.

Mark glanced over and saw what was coming.

"Look out!" Mark dashed over and pushed Steve out of the way as Agahnim shot a bolt of lightning straight ahead. Steve was pushed out of the path, but Mark was caught in the lightning, and was knocked over.

"Mark!" Steve ran over to his friend as the wizard chuckled and phased once again.

"I'm fine," Mark said. "Finish him."

Steve glared back at the wizard as he appeared directly in front of him.

"Give me your best shot," Steve said to Agahnim.

The wizard built up more magic, chuckling. Surely at such a short range, Steve wouldn't be able to counter in time. He fired the ball.

He had misjudged his opponent. Steve quickly spun in a circle, sending the ball back to Agahnim, knocking him to the ground.

Steve stood over the wizard, and Mark got up to join him.

"Grrrrugh," moaned Agahnim. "Well met, 'hero'! But I am not ready to admit ... defeat yet ... I will draw you into the Dark World!"

"Oh, man!" Mark grabbed Steve and tried to lead him back out of the room. "I forgot about this! Let's get outta here!"

Too late. The room began to shimmer around them. Suddenly, Agahnim and everything else around Steve and Mark, was gone.


	23. Chapter 23

They ended up standing on the top of a giant pyramid. Looking around, they saw that the bright and colorful world of Hyrule was gone, replaced by a twisted version that seemed as though it had decayed long ago, but refused to simply die.

"What the-" said Steve.

"The Dark World. I should have remembered that he would send us here. I guess now we- whoa, hahahaha!"

"What are you laugh- huh? You're a giant pink fox!"

"Haha, really? You're a giant pink raccoon!"

"No way! What's going on?"

"It's the Dark World, it made Link into a pink rabbit, remember? Ah, we forgot to get the Moon Pearl, _that_ was the treasure we skipped in the Tower of Hera. That would keep us from changing form in the Dark World."

"Crap, is it too late?"

"Nah, we just go back to the Tower of Hera... in the Light World. Hmm. Oh wait, we've got that magic mirror."

Mark pulled out the mirror, and they both gazed into it. Suddenly Mark phased out of existence.

"What the-" Steve looked around, but Mark was nowhere to be seen.

A moment later, Mark phased back.

"I was back in the Light World, why didn't you come?"

"I looked in the mirror. I'm not sure what else I should have done."

"No, that's all I did. Maybe it's only good for one person, like the Pegasus Boots."

"So what do we do now?"

"Well, we need to get that Moon Pearl, we won't be able to make it through the Dark World in these forms. I'll go back to the Light World and pick it up, and meet you back here."

"So you want me to wait, on the pyramid?"

"Not much choice, is there? Let me borrow the Pegasus Boots, and I'll be back quicker."

Steve looked down the stairs to the base of the pyramid. Down below were many soldiers who had changed to giant pigs due to the effects of the Dark World. There were also a few large burly cyclops who seemed to get their kicks by throwing bombs at each other.

"Don't worry." Mark noticed Steve's apprehension. "They won't come up the pyramid. I'll be back as quick as I can and we'll be on our way."

"Split the party again, eh?"

"No choice this time."

Steve gave the Pegasus Boots to Mark, who looked into the mirror once more, and disappeared.

Steve sat down and sighed. "I sure wish I had a GameBoy."

His thoughts wandered as he whiled away the time. _It seems like we've been here a long time, but I'm still not sure if this is even real. Is this all just a real vivid dream?_

_No, we've been here far too long for this to be a dream. But what _is_ this place? How is it possible to be in a video game? Just because Mark was... washing his Super Nintendo?_

Steve stole another glance down the pyramid at the creatures wandering about.

_This place is a lot more dangerous than I would have thought. Crap, I don't know how we've gotten _this _far. We don't belong in this world. But we _are_ here. Is there a way back home? It's not like we can go back the way we came._

_Geez, Mark. What were you doing washing your Super Nintendo, anyway? At least unplug it first. He doesn't even seem to realize the situation that we're in. He just smiles and laughs and treats it like a game._

Suddenly a blast of cold brought Steve back to attention. He looked over to see Mark, back in human form, standing beside him with a big grin on his face.

"Come on, get up! Let's go on to the next level!"


	24. Chapter 24

"Wow, man, that was quick."

"Pegasus Boots." Mark handed the boots back to Steve. "I even stopped by the Zora's area and got these." He held up the flippers.

"Awesome! Now we can swim... er, I guess _one_ of us can swim, huh?"

"Yeah, we'll have to deal with that later. Only one of us can use this, too." Mark revealed the Moon Pearl.

"Yeah, I didn't think about that. Hmm, that's gonna suck."

"Yes, but I'll deal with it." Mark handed the pearl to Steve, who changed back to human form, while Mark returned to being a pink fox.

"Wha- me?"

"You've got the Master Sword. You need it more."

"Here, you take the sword."

"I can't just take the sword. You earned it. You got all the pendants. Here, you take the flippers, too. I doubt I could use them in this form."

"Well, alright. So where to now?"

"The next palace is in the same spot as the Eastern Palace here. One of the maidens Agahnim sent here is imprisoned there, and we've got to rescue all of them."

"So we've gotta get past all of them?" Steve indicated all the creatures at the base of the pyramid.

"Yes, but remember, you've got the Master Sword."

Steve grinned. He pulled out the sword, and charged down the stairs of the pyramid. Mark followed as quickly as he could.

After dispatching all the creatures, they came upon a river on their way to the palace.

"Maybe we should try out those flippers before moving on," said Mark.

"Might as well." Steve slipped on the flippers and jumped into the river. After a couple of practice strokes, he shot forward like a rocket. "Hey, these work great!"

Mark ran along the riverbank trying to keep up. "I didn't know you were such a good swimmer."

"These flippers make it super easy."

Steve continued upriver until he came to a circle of rocks sitting in his path.

"What the," he said. "These rocks come all the way up from the bottom and make a circle. Weird."

"It's a prison," said Mark, catching up and walking out into the shallow water.

"A prison? For who?"

"An ancient Japanese deity, a Namazu. It's a catfish that causes earthquakes when it wriggles. It was such a mischief maker that the legendary hero Kashima imprisoned him in a circle of rocks. Whenever Kashima lets his guard down, that's when earthquakes occur. They still associate catfish with earthquakes in Japan. Earthquake warning kits have a catfish logo. There was even a Pokémon episode, about a catfish creature, that was banned because they almost showed it really soon after an earthquake."

Steve glared at Mark for a moment. "You know way too much about Asia."

"If we throw something in the circle, he'll give us the ability to make earthquakes with the Master Sword."

"Sweet!" Steve wasted no time finding a rock to throw in the circle.

The ground began to shake, and a giant catfish popped up in the circle of rocks.

"Was it you who disturbed my peaceful nap?" his voice boomed.

"Er, uh, yeah."

"I will give this to you if you go away!" A golden medallion was flung from the circle, and landed next to Mark. The catfish returned underneath the sea to slumber once more.

"Well, this is useless to me," said Mark, handing Steve the medallion.

"Nice." Steve stepped onto solid ground and drew his sword. He jumped in the air, and thrust the sword into the ground as he landed. The earth around them shook for a moment. "Epic."

Steve went to find another rock. "I wonder what else he'll give us?"

"Wait, no!" shouted Mark.

Too late. Steve tossed the rock into the circle, and the earth began to shake again.

The catfish appeared again. "I don't have any more presents for you! Take this instead, pest!" He dipped below the sea and a bomb was launched out at Steve and Mark.

They glanced at each other. "Run!"

They took off away from the circle of rocks and dived away from the explosion.


	25. Chapter 25

They soon arrived at the grounds of the Palace of Darkness. It was similar to the area around the Eastern Palace, but they had to make their way through a giant garden maze.

"We've been in here for hours!" exclaimed Steve.

"We've been in here for fifteen minutes at the most."

"Yeah, but we just keep getting more and more lost. Don't you know the way to go?"

"It's a lot easier to find the way through the maze from a top down perspective."

"Great, so how do we get out of here?"

Suddenly a blue monkey hopped right into their path. It hopped around a few more times, clinging on to vines on the wall, and ended up on Steve's shoulder.

"What the heck?"

"I'm Kiki the monkey, ki ki!" squealed the monkey. "I love rupees more than anything. Can you spare me 10 rupees?"

"You want me to just give you rupees? No way!"

"Ki ki! Harumph! I have no reason to talk to you, then! Bye-bye! Kik ki ki!" Kiki started to hop away.

"Wait a minute," said Mark. "I remember this part. Maybe he can help us find the way to the palace."

The monkey quickly hopped back and landed on Mark's shoulder. "Ki ki ki ki! Good choice! I will accompany you for a while. Kik ki ki!"

"Man, 10 rupees?" said Steve.

"You'd rather be in here for hours?"

"Alright. Fine, fine."

In a matter of minutes, they were at the exit and stood before the entrance to the Palace of Darkness, which was sealed shut.

"How do we get in?" asked Steve.

"Ki ki ki! If you give me 100 rupees, I will open the entrance for you! Kik ki ki!"

"A hundred rupees?!"

"Ki ki ki! Hmph! Do it yourself, then! Ki ki ki!"

"Wait, Kiki, wait a moment!" said Mark. To Steve he said, "That's the only way to get into this palace."

"But 100 rupees? We need that to buy some items."

"Like a bottle?"

"A _bottle_? No, something valuable. What is it with you and bottles?"

"Look, I've got 100 rupees. We'll get in, and I'm sure we'll get more rupees in the palace. You do want to get out of here quicker, don't you?"

"Yeah, alright. Let's go."

Mark paid Kiki, who hopped up to the top of the palace, and activated a switch which opened the entrance. Steve and Mark went inside.

"This looks a lot like the Eastern Palace," said Steve. The first room was almost exactly the same, with three doors to choose from.

"Yeah, it starts out that way, but after this room it gets a lot different."

On Mark's advice they started with the left door. There was one creature in the next room, a tiny brown animal with a green helmet covering its head.

"Aww, so cute," said Steve. "Let's kill it!"

Steve swung his sword down on the creature, which hit the helmet with a loud "TING!" and knocked the creature back.

"Hmm, tough little guy." Steve moved forward and swung again, hitting the helmet.

"The helmet is invulnerable," said Mark. "You're gonna have to hit him from behind."

"Invulnerable to the Master Sword. He _is_ a tough little guy."

Steve tried to circle around the creature, but it quickly turned to face him again and again.

"Dang, I'm making this too difficult. Ah, I've got it!" Steve held the sword level, and waited for it to charge up. The little creature dashed at him, and he sidestepped out of the way at the last second, releasing his charge in a spin attack which struck the creature from behind.

"Nice work," said Mark.

"Thanks. Now where do we find the treasure?"


	26. Chapter 26

Making their way through the dark maze of the palace, they found the main treasure chest, which Steve easily opened with his new "key", to reveal a giant hammer.

"Alright," said Mark, "it's-"

"Don't say it."

"Say what?"

"'It's hammer time'."

"I wasn't gonna say that."

"You were thinking it."

"Oh, whatever."

Steve reached in and pulled the hammer out of the chest.

"Wait a minute," said Mark. "Don't you think you have enough of the items?"

"Alright. You think you can use the hammer in that form?"

"Yea- wel- ... Fine. You take it."

They continued on, Steve using the hammer to smash the helmets of any of the little creatures they came upon.

"Pretty good hammer," said Steve. "Can do things even the Master Sword can't."

"Yeah, don't ask me."

"So where to now?"

"Down this hall, the door at the end leads to the boss lair. But we forgot to get the key."

Steve held up the hammer. "Well, if this thing's mightier than the Master Sword, maybe it'll work." He dashed down the hall.

"Wait," called Mark. "I don't think-"

He was interrupted by a loud sound of crumbling rock.

"Got it!" shouted Steve.

"Well, so much for needing to find keys anymore." Mark walked down the hall to join Steve.

"Whoa, this must be the mother!" exclaimed Steve.

In the next room they found a creature like the tiny helmeted ones, but much larger, nearly filling the room, and wearing a giant blue helmet.

"So, the hammer I'm guessing," said Steve.

Mark nodded.

"Here we go!" Steve lunged at the giant creature, smashing the hammer against the helmet. A tiny piece of the helmet flew off.

Steve stayed up close to the creature, hacking away at the helmet.

Mark noticed the creature swinging its tail around the room. He narrowly ducked it, and shouted a warning at Steve. Steve simply jumped over it and kept going at the helmet with his hammer until finally it shattered, revealing a large green crystal on the creature's forehead.

"This looks like a job for the Master Sword." Steve pulled out the sword and swung it at the crystal, again jumping over the tail as it swung towards him. After a couple of hits, the creature was destroyed.

"Well, that was an easy one," Steve said, sheathing his sword. He looked over at Mark, who was trying to catch his breath.

"His tail ... kept coming for ... me," said Mark.

"Heh, thanks for the assist. That helped a lot."

Mark simply gave a thumbs up, then pointed at the center of the room.

Instead of a pendant, this time a small blue crystal slowly descended. Steve walked over and picked it up. The image of a young woman projected out from the crystal.

"Because of you, I've escaped from the clutches of the evil monsters," she said. "Thank you!"

"Ooo, she's cute," said Mark.

"This world was once the Golden Land where the Triforce was hidden. But because Ganon, the leader of the thieves, wished it, this land was transformed. I'm sure he's intending to conquer even our Light World after building his power here. His hope is to use our power as a key to open a larger gate between the two worlds. But there is still time. Together we can break the barrier that protects Ganon's hiding place."

"Hey, is your grandfather the old man on top of the mountain?" asked Mark.

"Please find the other maidens," she continued. "I believe you can destroy Ganon. I will return to my original form at that time. May the way of the hero lead to the Triforce."

With that she returned to the crystal.

"I guess she wasn't interested in conversation," said Mark.

Steve shrugged.


	27. Chapter 27

After the Palace of Darkness, Mark and Steve went south, to the swamp where the next palace lay.

"This is a small palace," Steve said when they reached the entrance. The small building was surrounded on three sides by a giant pool of water.

"I think most of it is underground."

"Well, let's go while we're on a roll."

Inside, they didn't go far before they came to a ledge. A ladder went down into an empty canal, but there was no way to go from there. Across the canal was another ledge, which had a door that led down into the palace.

"That ledge is too far away," said Steve. "There's no way I can jump to it, even with a boost from the Pegasus Boots."

"That's right." Mark snapped his fingers. "We've got to flood this canal to get across."

"Aw crap, a _water_ temple?"

Mark nodded. "Which means I can't follow."

"What?!"

"You got this. You're on a roll."

"Yeah, but that's before we got to a water temple. Those are the worst." Steve sighed. "So how do we flood the canal?"

"It's connected to the Light World. I have to go in the shrine there and get the water flowing, which will get the water flowing here, too. I'll go take care of that, and meet you back at the entrance when you finish this palace."

Mark disappeared back through the entrance to the palace. A few minutes later, Steve heard the sound of a great amount of water suddenly flowing. He looked at the canal, and saw that it was now filled almost to the top with water.

Steve peeked outside the entrance, and saw that the pool of water that had nearly surrounded the entrance was now almost completely dried up. Mark was still nowhere in sight.

Even though he knew he had to go it alone, Steve was still hesitant to begin before Mark returned. He looked back at the canal and shuddered. _Water temples..._

Finally, after waiting a bit longer, Steve decided there was no reason to put it off any longer. He had to get to the end of this palace if they wanted to continue.

Counting to three, Steve jumped in the canal and swam to the opposite side. The water here was not as warm as the river he had practiced swimming in. He was shivering when he climbed out onto the ledge.

On the other side was a shallow pond with giant insects gliding along the surface of the water. He waded through the water, which came up to his ankles and slowed down his progress. As he trudged to the next door, the insects quickly zipped back and forth, coming closer to Steve with each pass.

"Forget this." Steve drew his sword and swung it, taking out one of the big bugs. As he did that, another bug swept behind him and knocked him to his side.

"Dangit, I'm not gonna get beaten by a bunch of bugs." Steve stood up and backed against a wall so they couldn't sneak up on him again. As the two remaining bugs took turns rushing towards him, he neatly swung his sword and took them out.

_Finally, _he thought, going through the door which led to a downward staircase. _Stupid water temple._


	28. Chapter 28

Down the stairs was a room with an even larger shallow pool. Many more bugs glided along the water here. Steve kept his sword at the ready, swiping at any bugs he crossed as he made his way to the next door.

The next room finally had a dry floor, but many creatures stood in his way. A giant metal box stood in the middle of the room. Steve swung his sword at one of the creatures, but as he did the metal box shot a ball of fire directly at him.

Fortunately, his clothes were still soaked, but the fire still singed where it contacted his skin. Steve kept an eye on the box, but no more fireballs came at him.

Suddenly a red creature jumped at him. He drew his sword and swung at the creature, splitting it into two smaller creatures. Another fireball shot out from the box and hit Steve.

"Ouch, this isn't cool. Hmm, wait a minute..."

Steve edged out of the way of the box and swung his sword again. A fireball shot out in a straight line, missing Steve. He swung his sword again, with the same result.

_Okay, somehow it's tied to the sword. Maybe I can just sneak through._

Steve sheathed his sword, and carefully watched the creatures move around the room. When he saw an open spot, he dashed across the room and took the stairs down to another empty canal. Now there were two ladders to get up to the next ledge, but one was broken and he couldn't reach it. Steve took the other one, hoping it would lead to the correct path.

He ended up in a room with a giant switch, but no other way to go. He pushed the switch, and more water began to flow through the canal he had just exited. Now he could go back and use the broken ladder to reach the next ledge.

_Stupid water temples. Always such a pain._

The next room was a gigantic room, with many different ways to go. Following the left hand rule, he opted to take the door on the left to start. He ended up in a long, narrow passage, which also had water up to his ankles. He continued through the passage. Every once in a while he came upon a door, which would just lead to another long, narrow passage filled with water.

After passing through a few doors, Steve suspected he wasn't getting anywhere. Following his gut, he smashed the hammer into the wall, leaving a noticeable mark. He continued on a little more, when he came across the same mark in the wall.

_Geez, I've been going in circles..._

He went back out the door he came in, starting to get fed up.

_Where to now?_

As he scanned the room to get a better idea of where to go, he noticed a staircase in front of him leading up to a higher area where the treasure chest sat.

_Well, at least that's something._

Steve went up the stairs, and opened the chest in his own personal style, which revealed to him-

"Hookshot! Oh yeah!"

Steve looked around the room again, this time much more eagerly, trying to find a target on which to use his new-found item.

He looked across the trench in front of him, where there sat a skull fixed on the ground. He fired the hookshot, which grappled the skull, and used the hookshot to bring him across the trench.

_Nice, and there's a door right here. I guess I'm supposed to get a key for the lock, but I like my way better._

Steve smashed the door with his hammer and continued forward.

After trudging through several more rooms with ankle deep water, Steve finally ended up in a room that was filled with deep water flowing from one end to another. He stood on the ledge, and tried to figure out which direction he'd have to go.

_Hopefully not against the current._

As he tried to figure out which way to go, some of the giant bugs noticed his presence, and glided across the water to block his path. He tried his sword, but they were just beyond reach. He also tried the bow and arrows and hookshot, but they moved too quickly.

_I'll just have to hope I can outswim them. Guess I'll go with the current... hope that's the right way..._

Moving away from the ladder, he was able to lure the bugs away from his way into the water. He quickly dashed back to the ladder, and leaped in the water. It was much colder at the lower levels of the palace!

He swam quickly until he came to another ladder. He grabbed the ladder and held on tightly, struggling to resist the current. He started to make his way up, but one of the bugs rammed into him, loosening his grip. The current took him farther down the room.

Doing his best to fight the current, Steve had a hard time seeing where he was. He flailed his arms, and in a flash of serendipity managed to grab hold of yet another ladder. Wasting no time, he hauled himself up onto another ledge, shivering, but away from the bugs. A locked door stood in front of him. He used his hammer and went through.

_Stupid water temples! Hope this is the right way..._


	29. Chapter 29

Steve walked through one more narrow passage, thankfully a dry one this time, before reaching the boss's lair, which was a large room completely filled with shallow water.

In the middle of the room was a mass of puffy cloud-like orbs, swirling all around each other.

_Well, if I know my Zelda games, this requires the hookshot._

Steve fired the hookshot, which latched onto one of the orbs and tore it away from the rest, bringing it right to Steve. Not prepared for that, he was knocked back by the orb, which then quickly returned to the group.

_Oh, it's gonna be like that, huh?_

Steve pulled out the Master Sword and held it in his right hand, while aiming the hookshot with his left. He fired again at the mass, and pulled an orb towards him. This time he was ready and slashed the orb, destroying it.

The mass of orbs started moving towards Steve. He fired his hookshot again, but wasn't ready for how quickly it would reach over the short distance, so he was knocked back again.

Cold and wet, and tired of being knocked back, Steve was beginning to get irritated. He dashed to the opposite side of the room and fired the hookshot again, this time successfully destroying the next orb.

After taking care of a few more orbs, Steve could see that underneath the mass was a giant jellyfish-like creature with one giant eye. Steve finished off the last few orbs, and stopped a moment to take a breath.

The jellyfish creature, however, began quickly moving back and forth about the room, knocking Steve back again.

_That's it! This guy is toast!_

Steve readied his sword, and swung right at the creature's eye the next time it passed. The creature stopped, and suddenly leaped into the air. It came crashing down, and Steve had to quickly dive in order to avoid it. Once it landed, it began to rush around once more.

Now that Steve knew it's pattern, he was able to make two more strikes, and finish off the creature. He leaned on his sword and was breathing heavily, relieved that the ordeal was finally over.

Another blue crystal descended in the center of the room. Steve slowly walked over and picked it up, still trying to catch his breath. Once again the crystal grew and another image of a young woman appeared.

"Thanks to you, I was able to escape from the clutches of evil. Thank you! The Triforce will grant the wishes of whoever touches it, as long as that person lives..."

_Hmm, that's right..._

"That is why it was hidden in the Golden Land. Only a select few were told of its location, but at some point that knowledge was lost. The one who rediscovered the Golden Land was an evil thief named Ganondorf. Luckily he couldn't figure out how to return to the Light World.

"You are the only one who can destroy Ganondorf, the thief... No! Ganon, the evil King of Darkness! May the way of the hero lead to the Triforce."

As she returned to the crystal, Steve could feel his strength returning. He quickly made his way back to the entrance to find Mark.


	30. Chapter 30

Steve made it to the entrance, but Mark was again nowhere to be seen. Just as he began to become concerned, he saw Mark approaching from the northwest.

"I thought you were gonna meet me here," said Steve.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't think it would take that long to get this." Mark revealed his latest item.

"Whoa, ocarina! I didn't think that was in this game. So, what can we do with it?"

"I can call a bird to take me to different places."

"Let me guess, it only works for one of us."

"Well, it only works in the Light World, so yes, definitely."

"That's all it does? So what good is it, then?"

"Hmm, not a lot, I guess. Oh well. How was the palace? Everything go alright?"

"Well, I got the crystal. But we are _not_ splitting the party again."

Mark laughed. "Haha, I think we'll be alright from here on."

"Oh, and I got this!" Steve showed Mark the hookshot.

"Very nice! That should make it even easier."

And easier it was. Steve and Mark went to the Skull Woods in the northwest part of the Dark World and found another crystal, as well as the Fire Rod.

They then went to the Thieves' Town, a dark and twisted reflection of Kakariko Village, and defeated Blind the thief for another crystal.

They found more crystals in the Ice Palace, which was in the middle of the Dark World's lake, and in Misery Mire, the Dark World version of the Desert Palace.

"Alright, we're almost done, right?" asked Steve. "Just one more crystal?"

"Yeah, and that will be Princess Zelda, up on Turtle Rock in the mountains. But first, I want to make a quick stop."

They headed north towards the pyramid where they first appeared in the Dark World. Along the way they went into a shop that specialized in bombs. The shopkeeper was a small green creature with pointed ears and a nose like an elephant's trunk.

"100 rupees for 30 bombs!" he wheezed. "I also have a new Super Bomb in stock for only 100 rupees! Please buy it, misters!"

"Yeah, we'll take that Super Bomb," said Mark.

The shopkeeper led them to a giant pink bomb that was almost bigger than he was.

"Thank you very much! You can drop this bomb off anywhere. Please don't forget it."

"Man, that's one big bomb," said Steve.

"Yeah, but it shouldn't be too bad if we both carry it," said Mark.

They each took a side, and hefted the bomb up. They carefully walked out of the bomb shop with it.

"So where are we taking this?" asked Steve.

"Back to the pyramid. There's a faerie there that can give us some important upgrades."

After a long time of slow, careful walking, they arrived at the pyramid. There was a large metal plate with a giant crack along the wall on one of the levels. They placed the bomb next to the crack and lit the bomb, running back down to the base of the pyramid for cover.

After the bomb went off, they looked up to see that it had created an entrance into the pyramid. They went in and found a mysterious looking pool. When they approached it, a mysterious voice spoke to them.

"This is the Mysterious Pond. Won't you throw something in?"

"Go ahead," Mark said to Steve. "Toss in the sword."

"The Master Sword? Really?"

Mark nodded, so Steve tossed his sword into the shallow pool. Suddenly an enormous faerie appeared before them, hovering above the pool.

"Hello there," she said to them. "Did you drop this?"

"Yeah, we did." said Mark.

"I like an honest person. I will give you something better in return."

As she faded away a sword shaped aura appeared and rose from the pond. It moved directly to Steve, and morphed into the Master Sword, but shone with a golden hue.

"Wow, I can already feel it's more powerful!" exclaimed Steve.

"That should make things even easier I hope."

"Yeah." Steve paused a moment. "She sure was fat, wasn't she?"

Mark chuckled. "Now toss in the bow and arrows."

Steve tossed them into the shallow pool, and the gigantic faerie appeared once more.

"Hello there. Did you drop this?"

"Yeah, that's ours."

"You are an honest person. I like you. I will give you something important. These are the Silver Arrows. To deal the final stroke to Ganon, you definitely need them!" She paused for a moment. "I know I don't quite have the figure of a faerie... Ganon's cruel power is to blame! You must defeat Ganon!"

"We're planning on it," Mark said as the faerie faded away.

A bow shaped aura appeared in the water and it also floated to Steve, where it formed into a more powerful looking bow and several silver tipped arrows.

"Is this everything?" asked Steve.

"It sure is."

"Then let's go get Zelda."


	31. Chapter 31

Steve and Mark stood at the base of the Dark World's mountain range.

"Oh man," said Steve. "We've gotta make our way up this _again_?"

"Don't worry, there won't be some old man who talks our ears off this time."

"There'd better not be, or I'm blaming you."

Eventually they made it to the top of the mountain climb.

"Finally, we made it," said Steve.

"Err, actually, Turtle Rock is on the far side of the summit. We've still got to make it over there."

"That shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Well, we _are_ almost at the end of the game."

"I had to ask. Wait, what's that glowing tower there? Isn't that right where the Tower of Hera is in the Light World?"

"That's Ganon's Tower. It's our next stop after Turtle Rock."

"So why can't we just skip it and go in there now?"

"Do you see any way in? We need all the maidens together to block the magic power keeping us out."

"Arghh, it's always something. Alright, let's go on."

Avoiding several of the most dangerous creatures they had met yet, as well as rock slides and treacherous narrow paths, they made it to a giant rock that was shaped just like a turtle.

"Okay, this must be it," said Steve. "But, how do we enter?"

"Up on the top of the rock. You see that emblem? Looks just like the Quake Medallion?"

"Ah yes, the one we got from that catfish in the circle rock prison. Pretty lucky we happened to run into that. Seemed extraneous at the time."

Steve climbed up to the top of the giant rock formation and stood by the emblem. He pulled out the Master Sword, and performed the quake jump. Mark braced himself, as the quake's effect was a bit more powerful than usual. Rocks shifted all around, cracks began to form, crags began to jut out at random.

"Did it work?" Steve shouted down.

"Yeah, I think I see an entrance over here."

"You _think_? I'd say one more time for good measure!"

"Wait-"

Steve quickly jumped up and slammed the sword down in the emblem again. Everything around them shook and reconfigured even more. Mark wasn't as prepared this time, and tumbled around.

"How's about now?" asked Steve.

"It's... It's good." Mark was trying to regain his balance.

Steve leaped back down and saw that there was, indeed, a good sized entrance into the rock formation.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked.

"My head to stop spinning."

"We can't wait that long. Let's go." Steve grabbed Mark's arm and led him into the rocky entrance. "Welcome, to Turtle Rock."

"Oh, don't you start now."


	32. Chapter 32

Turtle Rock was a gigantic cavern with dangerous chasms every which way they went.

"How far down do you think these things go?" asked Steve.

Mark peered down a dark chasm. "I don't want to find out, but knowing this place, they're probably bottomless."

"Yeah, let's definitely not find out."

They made their way through several rooms with relatively little incident, only having to backtrack a couple of times.

"Aw man, another dead end," Steve said after they went through another door.

"That's alright, there was another way to- yikes!" The door they had come through had disappeared and turned into a giant eye on the stone wall. Knowing what was coming, Mark pushed Steve to the right, and dived to the left. A golden beam fired from the eye, just nearly missing both of them.

"What the heck?" asked Steve. The eye continued firing beams in the same path in a regular pattern. "Where's the door?"

"I remember this," said Mark. "Turn around, face away from the eye."

Mark and Steve turned their backs toward the eye, which disappeared. The door returned to its original place.

"So we have to look away from it?" asked Steve. "What about my shield?"

"Nope, you need a better shield to block these lasers."

"Okay, so, without looking back, just..." Steve and Mark carefully stepped back the way they came. Steve bumped into the wall. "Oof."

"Haha, careful!" Mark reached back and felt for the door. When he found it, he pushed it open and held it until they were both through.

"Okay, so where can we find this shield?"

"It's somewhere in Turtle Rock, and we've already got your 'key', so we just need to find the chest."

They went through a few more rooms, until they came to a door that exited the mountain to a narrow ledge at a high altitude.

"Whoa, so not this way," said Steve.

"Actually, this is the right way. Look down the ledge a bit, there's another door back into the mountain."

"Oh, man, so we gotta..."

"Just don't look down."

Mark and Steve carefully traversed the ledge, and were soon back in the mountain. In front of them stood the treasure chest.

"Well," said Mark. "you know what to do."

Steve grinned and pulled out his sword, swinging it in a couple of circles before slamming it down on the chest, revealing a shining golden shield. "Oh man, this thing is great!"

From there they continued until they found a narrow passage with an even narrower rock bridge. A steep chasm was on both sides.

"This isn't too bad," said Steve.

Mark pointed along the walls. Several more giant eyes were embedded in the wall on both sides.

"Crap! But they won't fire at us if our backs are turned to them?"

"No, these will fire no matter what. You gotta use your shield."

So they started down the bridge side by side, just barely fitting. Steve held his shield to the left, ready for the beams. When they were abeam the eye, it fired, but the shield blocked.

"Aw man," said Steve. "It doesn't deflect?"

"Nope, just blocks."

"Bah, some _mirror_ shield."

After they passed the first eye, they had to switch places so Steve could hold the shield on his right side and deflect the next eye's beams. They continued down the bridge, switching back and forth to block the beams with the Mirror Shield.

From there they headed downstairs and came across a giant locked door.

"This must be the boss room," said Mark.

"Well, here we go." Steve pulled out the hammer, and smashed the door down.


	33. Chapter 33

In the next room was what appeared to be a giant statue of a turtle. As soon as Mark and Steve entered it came to life and focused on them. Two more heads came out from the top of the shell, one red and the other blue, and with very long necks to maneuver all around.

"So we gotta use the Mirror Shield against this?" asked Steve.

"Nope."

"What kind of Zelda game _is _this? So what do we do?"

"Use the Fire Rod on the blue head, and quickly, before it-" Suddenly the blue head shot a blast of ice in their direction. They dived out of the way, barely avoiding it.

"I see your point!" Steve used the Fire Rod to shoot flame at the blue head, which momentarily stunned it.

"Now attack with your sword!"

While Steve attacked the blue head, Mark grabbed the Ice Rod and fired it at the red head. "Now get this one!"

Steve switched to the red turtle head and attacked with the Master Sword.

"Okay, great!" shouted Mark. "Now look out, the middle head is going to attack!"

"Is there anything we can do about that?"

"Err, no, just avoid for now!"

Steve and Mark ran to opposite sides of the room as the center head swung out to knock them down, but missed.

"Back to the ice head!" shouted Mark. "Use the Fire Rod again!"

Steve managed to destroy the blue head, and after Mark stunned the red head, Steve quickly destroyed that as well. Both heads exploded, and the explosions went inwards towards the turtle shell.

"Nice," said Steve, trying to catch his breath. "That worked out fairly well."

"Not quite yet." The rock turtle began to rumble, and the shell exploded, leaving just the center head, which now had a giant snake-like body. It started slithering all about the room.

"Oh man! Now what?"

"Just attack that glowing part in the middle with whatever you got!"

Using his upgraded Master Sword coupled with the experience he had built, Steve handily took out the creature.

"Now we can relax," said Mark.

"That's it?"

"That's it. Look." The final blue crystal descended to the center of the room. Mark and Steve rushed over to it. The image of Zelda appeared before them.

"I appreciate your coming so far to rescue me. As I thought the first time we met, you two are honest and trustworthy, and it is your destiny to save this land.

"Ganon is inside of his tower, waiting to pass through the gate linking the two worlds. Once Ganon enters the Light World, it is unlikely that anyone can stop him. But if he is kept in the closed off space of this world, you can find him wherever he runs. Now, take the seven crystals to Ganon's Tower! Our combined powers will break his barrier! Let us bring peace to the country and smiles to the faces of the people! May the way of the heroes lead to the Triforce."

Zelda returned to the crystal.

"I forgot how cute she is," said Mark.

"Haha, come on, let's go!"


	34. Chapter 34

They exited Turtle Rock the same way they entered.

"So, our next stop is that building we just passed on the way here?" asked Steve.

"Yup."

"Piece of cake."

But as they walked back to the west, they saw that the path that had brought them to Turtle Rock was now gone. The shape of the mountain had been altered from the quakes Steve had caused to make an entrance to Turtle Rock.

"Uh, is there another way down?" asked Steve.

"No, we had to go this way."

"So what do we do?"

"Hmm. See that ledge?" Mark pointed at a very narrow ledge that wrapped around the mountain and back to where they came from, but only extended out a foot at the most, often down to a couple of inches.

"Oh, no way."

"It's the only way. Just don't look down."

"How high up do you think we are?"

"Probably best not to think about it."

Pressing their bodies against the mountain wall, they stepped onto the ledge, and slowly began moving across.

They paused several times, and more than once bits of the ledge would crumble beneath their feet. It was nearly half an hour before they had made it halfway.

"Oh man, this is awful," said Steve.

"Well, it's your fault, causing that second quake. We only needed the one quake to get in Turtle Rock. What were you doing messing around?"

"_Me_ messing around? You haven't taken anything seriously at all here! You keep abandoning me, and you just laugh about everything like this is all a joke! And who washes a plugged in Super Nintendo?! Come on, really?!"

"Yeah, well, I'm- look out!"

"Stop messing around!"

"I'm not! Look!" Mark pointed to the other side of Steve, where a giant blue bat was making a beeline right for them.

"Yikes!" shouted Steve. Both of them hugged the rock face as the bat swept right past them.

"C'mon, let's go," said Mark. But as soon as they inched a little closer, the bat turned around and buzzed them again.

"What the-" said Steve.

"This wasn't in the game. I have no idea what's happening."

The bat continued back and forth, keeping them from moving.

"Okay," Mark said to Steve. "we've got one shot at this. When I say go, you go!"

"What the heck?"

Mark slowly turned around, and ended up facing away from the mountain. He watched the bat go by a couple of times, then shouted. "GO!" He leaped from the ledge, and grappled the bat. The bat started wobbling and veering away, but Mark held on.

Steve couldn't stop watching.

"GO!" Mark shouted again.

Steve slowly inched farther along the ledge, but turned once more to take a look. Mark was doing his best to hold on, but finally the bat spun around, and Mark dropped. He passed through a layer of clouds, and then was gone.

"Mark!"


	35. Chapter 35

Steve paused for a second, not believing what he had just seen. But the bat coming back at him prompted him to move forward. He rushed across the ledge as quickly as he dared to, making it to the other side before the bat could return. He pulled out his sword and the bat retreated.

Steve went over to the edge of the mountain and peered down, but couldn't see any sign of what had happened to Mark. He could see that he was very high up, but Mark had to be okay.

_It's just a video game... right?_

Steve's legs began to feel weak, and he suddenly fell to a sitting position. What could have happened? Where could he have gone? Could Steve find him? Would he dare to look to see the result of such a fall?

Suddenly Zelda's voice called out to Steve.

"Steve, Ganon's Tower is very close. You must go there, now."

"But Mark-"

"He made a sacrifice so you could reach the other side where Ganon's Tower lies. Don't waste that sacrifice. Go, save the land of Hyrule!"

"I have to see if he's alright."

"No one will be alright if you don't defeat Ganon. Please, you must stop him! Save us all!"

Steve took a deep breath, and looked down the mountain again. He closed his eyes and nodded. Standing up, he looked back at the mountain's edge one more time, then continued to Ganon's Tower.

When Steve approached the glowing tower, the seven crystals he held all began to float up and make a circle surrounding him. They rose up and the circle expanded, spinning around him.

"Steve," he heard Zelda's voice again. "we are going to break the barrier of Ganon's Tower with our power."

The crystals spun faster, and created a large flash of light. The light flashed several times, and when it stopped, the tower was no longer glowing. A staircase now extended very high up to the entrance. The crystals all flashed individually, then returned to Steve.

He mustered his strength, and walked up the stairs into the tower.

Inside the tower, he encountered more creatures than he had seen in any of the palaces. Fueled with rage, he mowed through the creatures using the Master Sword.

After a few rooms, Steve came to a room with six blue statues, exactly like the ones he and Mark had fought in the Eastern Palace. Equipped with the Silver Arrows, he made quick work of them.

Continuing on, he found a room filled with sand. Three green centipede creatures emerged from the sand, but once again they were easily dispatched with the Silver Arrows.

Steve went farther up and up, and found a giant room with a giant yellow worm skittering around, just like in the Tower of Hera. Only a couple slashes from the Master Sword to finish it off.

Finally, Steve made it to the top of the tower. One more door left to go through. Steve drew the Master Sword, ready for whatever was beyond the door.

In the next room stood Agahnim.

"Ho ho ho!" taunted Agahnim. "It's great that you could come all the way here, Steve. And while I'm very happy to see you again, you'd better believe that we will not have a third meeting! Prepare to meet your doom!"

"You're darn right we won't! But it'll be _your_ doom!"

Agahnim suddenly split into three clones, and all of them phased around the room. They appeared and all started building up magic. They fired all together, but Steve was able to quickly deflect each ball of magic with the sword. The third one hit the real Agahnim, causing him to shout again.

The three Agahnims built up magic again and moved in closer to Steve, hoping he wouldn't be able to react to all three of them that quickly.

They were wrong.

Steve was able to deflect all three balls of magic right at the real Agahnim, who tumbled to the floor, and the clones disappeared.

Suddenly the image of a giant boar rose from Agahnim's lifeless body.

_Ganon!_

The image of Ganon glared at Steve for a moment, before turning into a giant blue bat and making a hasty departure out the window.

_The blue bat!_


	36. Chapter 36

Steve raced back down the tower and back outside. He scanned the sky for the bat, but couldn't see it anywhere.

"Steve," called the voice of Zelda. "Ganon must be returning to the point where the two worlds have become linked."

"Hmm, the pyramid?"

"Yes. You must find him, quickly, before he can make his way to the Light World."

"That's a long way away."

"You must go. I believe you have an item given to you by Sahasrahla which will aid you in your journey."

"Of course! The Pegasus Boots!" Steve had forgotten about them, as he hadn't had much opportunity to use them.

"Now make haste! We are all counting on you."

Steve took off running, and didn't stop until he reached the base of the mountain.

In a short time, Steve arrived at the base of the pyramid. He looked up the staircase.

_This is where we entered the Dark World. And this is where it's all gonna go down. I hope you're ready, Ganon, because I'm coming!_

Steve rushed up the stairs to the top of the pyramid, where he found a large, bat-shaped hole on the floor. Looking down, he saw only darkness. He drew his sword and leaped in.

He landed in a perfect three-point landing. The room he was in was lit by two giant lanterns behind him. He glared ahead at the giant boar that stood before him.

"I never imagined a boy like you could give me so much trouble," said Ganon. "Especially after taking care of your little friend."

"Why you-"

"It's unbelievable that you defeated my alter ego, Agahnim the Dark Wizard, twice! But I will never give you the Triforce. I will destroy you and make my wish to conquer the world come true without delay."

Ganon brandished a giant trident, and was about to phase back to the wall, but Steve got a quick swipe in with the Master Sword before he completely phased.

Ganon spun the trident around, and several fire bats appeared, circling around him. They spun in a larger circle, and swept out, a couple of them hitting Steve and knocking him down. Then Ganon shot a bolt of flame, which hit Steve as he tried to get up.

_This guy's tough,_ Steve thought as he watched Ganon phase to another side of the room. He picked himself up and charged at Ganon, who sent more fire bats, knocking Steve down once more. Ganon jumped up and landed hard on the floor, causing one side of the floor to go crashing down to the level below. When he landed, another bolt of flames shot out at Steve.

_This is ridiculous. I've got to slow him down._

Steve stood up and carefully watched Ganon move. The fire bats came out again, but Steve timed his dodge carefully, and the fire bats missed him. Ganon leaped again, causing another side of the floor to crash down. This time, Steve dodged the bolt of fire.

Ganon phased again, but this time Steve was able to catch him. Ganon appeared and Steve slashed him with the sword. More fire bats circled, but Steve backed up at the right moment to dodge. When they were gone, Steve launched forward and struck at Ganon just as he leaped. This stopped him from hurling another bolt of flames, but he still knocked down another side of the floor.

"You are doing well, lad," Ganon said. "But can you break through this secret technique of Darkness? En garde!"

Ganon phased and leaped up one more time. Steve avoided the circle of fire bats, and struck Ganon quickly again, but Ganon still crashed down, causing the floor on the last side to crash down.

Suddenly the two lanterns went out, leaving Steve in complete darkness.


	37. Chapter 37

_Crap, how am I supposed to fight him if I can't see him?_

Steve slowly backed up, but went a little too far and came to the edge of the floor. He teetered over the edge, but caught himself before falling down to the level below. While going down there would get him away from Ganon, Steve knew he had to stop him.

Steve couldn't see Ganon, but he did see a bolt of flame come from him. He tried to dodge, but was a bit too slow. The flame knocked him down.

As he got up, he could feel one of the lanterns right in front of him. He held on to the lantern, but kept his attention towards where the flame had come from. He wanted to be ready for the next one.

The next bolt of flames came from a different direction, but Steve could still see it coming. He dodged out of the way, still keeping a hold of the lantern. Once he was clear, he pulled the Fire Rod out, and fired it at the lantern, lighting it once more.

By the dim light of the lantern, Steve could now barely see Ganon phasing around the room. He saw the flames build up, and easily dodged the next bolt.

Steve went to the next lantern, and used the Fire Rod to light that as well, bringing the room fully back to light. He looked over at Ganon, and watched the direction he phased. Steve met him when he appeared, and swung the sword at him accompanied by a mighty shout.

Ganon suddenly froze just like the creatures hit by the boomerang. Steve continued to strike him with his sword, but it had no effect. Ganon shook free and began to phase about the room again.

Steve followed, and struck him with the sword again, freezing him. Suddenly a memory came to Steve, that of the giant faerie telling him to use the Silver Arrows to deal the final stroke to Ganon.

Steve pulled out the bow, and fired an arrow at Ganon, who let out a mighty roar!

Then the room became a little darker. Steve looked over and saw that the first lantern had gone out. He didn't want to lose his light, so he rushed over and re-lit that lantern, then used the Fire Rod on the other for good measure.

Quickly he ran over to Ganon and froze him again, then fired the arrow. Ganon screamed, and phased again. Steve had enough time to strike once more with the sword and then he hit him with the arrow.

This time Ganon didn't phase away. He slowly moved to Steve and blocked the Master Sword with his trident. With a mighty shove, he pushed Steve to the ground, then used his trident to knock the Master Sword away. Ganon pulled the Fire Rod from Steve, and examined it.

When the first lantern went out, Ganon snapped the rod in half, tossing it away where it fell to the level below. He pinned Steve to the floor with the trident, and the other lantern went out, leaving Steve completely defenseless in the darkness.

"So, you think this is all a game?" Ganon pushed the points of the trident into the floor, and it started pushing into Steve's chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. "Pathetic fool. This is no game. This is all very real. Yes, I know where you come from. I'm no fool. I've taken care of your friend, and once I finish you off, I will have access to your world as well."

Steve squirmed, but the life was draining from him, making it tougher to resist.

"With the might of the Triforce, I will subjugate all that you love, and none can stop me. Your friends, your family. They will all serve me just as the people of Hyrule will. And they will know that it was _your_ insolence that led me to them."

Ganon raised the trident, and plunged it into Steve, twisting it around, causing Steve to scream. Ganon pulled it out and plunged it down again, this time trapping Steve's neck against the floor.

"To be honest, I'm impressed that you were able to come and face me after I dispatched your friend. You have more spirit than I thought. But now you die. In the darkness. All alone."


	38. Chapter 38

Steve felt the trident pull away from his neck. He cringed as he anticipated it coming back down at him.

Before it could, the light suddenly came back on.

"He's _not_ alone!"

Steve used the last of his strength to look over and see Mark standing by a lantern. Mark was holding a bottle, which he threw down at the floor next to Steve. It crashed and broke open, revealing a tiny faerie which fluttered around Steve. Steve reached out and touched it, and all of his strength came rushing back.

"What?!" shouted Ganon.

Mark kicked the Master Sword back to Steve.

"C'mon," Mark encouraged his friend. "You. Got. This."

Steve picked up the Master Sword and gave Ganon a sinister grin. Ganon fired a bolt of flames, which Steve jumped over. He swung his sword down at Ganon, who froze in place. Steve fired one more Silver Arrow, and Ganon was destroyed once and for all.

Steve was breathing heavily, still in disbelief.

"Wha-" he finally said. "How?"

Mark smiled and pulled out the ocarina. "Remember that bird I told you about? Only works in the Light World? As I fell, I used the Magic Mirror to go back to the Light World, and called the bird to carry me off before I hit the ground.

"By the time I made my way back to the Dark World, I saw you had already come and gone from Ganon's Tower. I got here as quick as I could, stopping to pick up a bottle..."

"A bottle, huh?"

"I thought it might be useful, which apparently it was."

"I see that now."

The two friends stood in silence for a moment.

"Hey," said Steve. "I'm sorry about what I said, back on the mountain."

"No, you were right to be upset. I tried to play it off like this is all nothing, but that's all a sham. Dude, I've been crazy scared this whole time."

"But you know this world so well."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have made it this far by myself. I needed you, man. _You_ did everything. You killed all the bosses, you got the pendants, the crystals. You earned the _Master Sword._ You were awesome."

"Yeah, but all with your guidance. I guess you could say we made a pretty good team here."

"Exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself."

Mark extended a hand, and Steve shook it.

"So where to now?" asked Steve.

Suddenly a large door opened in the back of the room, and a powerful light emanated from beyond it.

"I'd say we go that way," said Mark.


	39. Chapter 39

Steve and Mark followed a red carpet into the room. Large green curtains hung from the ceiling, shimmering, and giving the room a calm appearance found nowhere else in the Dark World.

In front of them was a staircase leading up to a small pit. From the pit rose three golden triangles, which slowly spun in the air above them.

"The Triforce..." whispered Mark.

Suddenly a quiet but powerful voice spoke, echoing throughout the chamber.

"Welcome, Steve and Mark. I am the Essence of the Triforce. The Triforce will grant the wishes in the heart and mind of the person who touches it. The stronger the wish, the more powerful the Triforce's expression of that wish."

"This is our way home," whispered Steve. Mark nodded.

"Ganon's wish was to conquer the world. That wish changed the Golden Land into the Dark World. After building up his power, Ganon planned to go on to the Light World to fulfill his wish. But now that Ganon has been destroyed, his Dark World will surely vanish.

"The Triforce is waiting for a new master. Its Golden Power is in your hands. Now, touch it and think of the wish in your heart."

Mark and Steve glanced at each other and nodded. Together they reached out, and touched the Triforce at the same time.

Steve and Mark suddenly floated up, slowly. As they rose, there was a flash of light, and everything around them disappeared.

When the light was gone, they saw that they were floating above Hyrule. As they continued to rise, they could see Hyrule Castle. Princess Zelda stood in the courtyard, with the other maidens and also her father.

Higher up, they could see Link's house. Link came out the door and waved up at them.

As they floated higher, they could see the entirety of Hyrule Kingdom. Everything had been returned to its peaceful condition from before Agahnim began capturing maidens.

Soon they passed through a cloud level, and there was another flash of light, and everything disappeared.

The next thing they knew, they were standing back in Mark's house. The Super Nintendo sat on the floor by the bathroom sink, no longer plugged in.

Steve looked over at Mark. "Did that..."

"Did that just happen? It seemed real enough."

"Surely we couldn't have both dreamed about the same thing."

"No. I think we were really there."

"But for how long?"

Mark checked the clock in his room for the time and date. "Looks like we were gone for ten minutes."

"No way, we were there for days at least."

"I don't know, man. I agree, that's weird."

"Well, if only ten minutes have passed... I guess I did come over for some gaming. What do you want to do?"

Steve and Mark both glanced over at the Super Nintendo, and the bathroom sink still filled with soapy water. They looked back at each other and grinned.

"Ready! Set! Go!"

The red lights turned to green.

Steve and Mark sped off in their karts, racing ahead of Mario for the finish line.

The End


End file.
